Category: Erosion
A look at erosion processes, exploration of various definitions, and examples and analysis of contributory factors. Including meteorological, sea state impacts and physical geographical factors.
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Winter Erosion on the East Anglian coast for 2025 into 2026 has been active with several instances of severe erosion. Hemsby suffered a devasting large-scale demolition of properties, with further demolitions to come. Thorpeness, and Happisburgh also experienced tragic loss of homes, with threats of further property loss. Showing the border between land and sea…
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Coastal storms: Processes and Impacts. Editor Paolo Ciavola, Giovanni Coco Winter erosion, as with many places on the UK coastlines, has been severe on the East Anglian coast. Locations like Hemsby saw 10 metres of dune loss in one night due to a storm surge on 2nd January. At Thorpeness, it is thought around 27 metres…
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Severe erosion sadly continues to see demolition of properties on North End Avenue at Thorpeness. It is thought over 6-8 metres of cliff has been lost in recent months. This cliff retreat is in addition to loss measured by coastal managers, for the location south of the rock revetment at Thorpeness Beach, the site of…
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Erosion at Thorpeness has accelerated dramatically with the creation of a quarry shaped section of beach, with around 7 metres of cliff retreat, replacing an area fronted by Gabions (Stone Baskets) backed by cliffs covered with vegetation. For comparison, this is the same section of beach in 2023. A number of homes on North End…
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Henry David Thoreau, I to Myself, August 1851 The coastline of Norfolk and Suffolk is bearing the scars of the winter storms of 2024-2025, and this discussion will consider a few examples of the attrition of heavy rain and wave action. Including large slippages of cliff material at Overstrand in Norfolk, with a recent announcement…
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Pakefield Beach is a fascinating example of erosion and deposition of sediment. With a dramatic contrast between substantial accretion (build-up) of sand at Benacre Ness, with the assessment that this feature seems to be building up to the north, whilst eroding at its Southern end. The build-up of Benacre Ness could help protect Pakefield, but…
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This discussion will update previous observations of Sudbourne Beach, near Aldeburgh, in Suffolk, in the United Kingdom. The update will consider the Saltmarsh and channel that run along the edge of the Shingle fan overwash, that formed around Autumn 2023. As well as briefly discuss the overall form of the beach system and erosion of…
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This discussion will consider observations of Sudbourne Beach over the period July 2023 to July 2024. Three points to be considered include alteration to the Morphology (shape) of the Shingle Ridge. The nature of the apparent relationship between the Shingle, Saltmarsh and Tidal water from the Alde & Ore estuary. In addition to the state…
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As storms continue to batter the East Anglian coast, this discussion will consider marks left by storms Babet & Ciaran on two beaches in Suffolk and ask how useful it is to examine erosion through the lens of the Palimpsest. The term refers to how a surface or feature, when something new is added, continues…
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Recent visits to Thorpeness have revealed new erosion features, possibly exacerbated by extreme high waves observed in early July 2023. However, rather than focus on features on the cliffs and beach, this discussion will consider the nearshore processes likely to influence the shape of a beach. A local feature known as the Sizewell-Dunwich Sandbank system…
alteredcoast 