The coastline is exposed to the destructive waves which travel across the largest fetch. These waves are created by prevailing winds from North-east which travel across a large fetch. These waves erode the foot of the cliffs creating a wave-cut notch. When the cliff can’t support itself, it collapses. Long shore drift carries an estimated amount of half a million tones of sediments per year down south and deposits it in the lower energy environment. The material collects to form a spit called Spurn Head. But there isn’t any material left to protect cliffs from further erosion by forming beaches.
The coastal retreat also depends on the weather. In winter, the storms produce stronger waves so this increases the rate of erosion. The amount of rain also effect the Holderness cliffs as the rain is soaked by the material and the weight causes some of the material to slide into the sea. The rain could cause the clay to become saturated and therefore it slumps towards the beach.
Humans also influence the coastal erosion, such as the removal of vegetation, which could hold some of the material in place. Global warming and short-term changes in climate, which aren’t directly linked to human actions, can cause a rise in sea level and also increase the amount of storms. The coast posses a threat to the lives and properties of the residents along the coast; and urbanisation can increase the speed of cliff retreat in some aspects.
In Flamborough, noticeable wave-cut notches are created as the wave penetrates the faults in the cliff. The continuous erosions lead to the formation of caves and arches. When the arch is weakened by the waves and weathering, it collapses. This creates a stack, when the stack gets worn out, it is called a stump.
There is no need to manage the northern part of the coast. But there are many defence strategies used across the southern coastline as there is more erosion compared to the north where the material is quite stable. There are some places where not much is done to protect it; only rock waste is used to protect Barmston. In Withernsea, there are groynes and a sea wall, similar to the technique used in Hornsea. A return wall is built and it is protected by rip-rap which is a rock armour. There are also beach nourishments as the natural beaches have disappeared. So the wave-cut platform can be seen, and the cliffs are exposed to the destructive waves. There are also some disadvantages with this management. The sea wall is of a limited length, sot he protection is also to limited area and the view is limited too. Getting to and fro from the beach is also very difficult due to the management techniques.
Hornsea is a tourist and holiday area with hotel frontage. So it is important that the beach is protected. Groynes have put built and some replaced, the total cost reached to over ₤5.2 million. The old sea wall has been improved by increasing the height slightly. Another technique used in the south beach is that trees are being planted in sand dunes. The management in Hornsea is low costing, and the groynes seem to maintain the beach. The low lying areas can also be developed as there are defences around the beaches. There are also disadvantages, such as that the groynes have to be maintained continuously. Conserving the beach in Hornsea creates a problem further south as there is no sand to transport.
Mappleton which is located around 3km south of Hornsea. In 1786, Mappleton used to be 3.5km from the sea, but in 1988 the local residents had to act in order to save their now crumbling town. Finally, when the coastal road was under threat a scheme which cost ₤2.1 million was applied in 1991.
Two rock groynes are placed to contain the beach sediment. A rock revetment is also used to protect the cliffs. The cliffs are also re-graded so that they will no slump as much. The tourism areas were strengthened by the building access roads and car parks. In 2002, the condition of the coast deteriorate, the cliffs became unstable as they started slumping. The cliffs near the car park started getting eroded and wave-cut notch were formed
Mappleton shows the issues when costal management interrupts natural processes. By using groynes to trap beach sediments, very rapid erosion of cliffs and beaches may occur elsewhere. So, by using groynes in Hornsea, there is less material deposited in Mappleton. But, Mappleton also wants a beach to keep its tourism sector alive. Therefore, they also have groynes and defences to protect their coast. Consequently, no material is deposited in other places, instead the speed of erosion increases further south. An example would be Great Cowden, 3km south of Mappleton’s and 6km from Hornsea’s growing beach.
Spurn Head which is the spit, is different environmentally compared to the other places but the main problem here is also erosion. Many powerful winter storms let the wash over the neck of the spit. It was decided that they use the management strategy called ‘abandonment’. It was scheme was officially applied in 1995, as they couldn’t afford repairing the damage. Applying this idea to other parts would be very difficult, as the residents and other people wouldn’t agree with it as they might own land or houses. If the area isn’t protected, then they could loose what they own.
So choosing what to protect and how to protect it is a difficult task, as that decision could affect the condition in other places.