National Trust on Coast and Floods issues. Listen again link

Speaking to The World This Weekend's Shaun Ley, Dame Helen Ghosh 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27008510

National Trust -2013 Shifting shores report

 Clean-up crew moving seaweed at Middle Beach, Studland © Nick Meers

2013 Shifting shores report 

 http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1356397220231/

 

In the United Kingdom no one lives more than 75 miles from the sea.

For us, as an island nation, the sea has an all-embracing presence. Spiritually and physically we are intimately connected with our shores. The sea has immense power, which we ignore at our peril.

 

Did you know that with 1,130 kilometres of coastline in our care, we now own nearly one tenth of the coast of England, Wales and Northern Ireland?

 

The extent of our coastal holdings – and the variety of development and coastal features that they encompass – gives us a unique window on the issues of coastal change. The coast is an immensely dynamic environment. Sea-level rise and climate change are forecast to increase the scale and pace of coastal change.

 

To help plan for the future, we have commissioned research to assess how the coastline is likely to change over the next 100 years. The results suggest that many of the Trust’s important sites are at risk from coastal erosion and flooding. As a result we face some difficult choices in managing this change, and need to make well-informed decisions that stand the test of time.

Learning from experience, our policy now favours adaptation, to give us time and space to change with the coast and work with the forces of nature.

We are not alone in facing challenges from climate change and sea-level rise. People’s homes and livelihoods are at stake, so wider solutions are needed to help vulnerable communities live with a changing coast.

 

We have looked at several areas around Britain, and produced reports examining the problems in closer detail.

 

Download the report you're interested in to see the bigger picture.

 

Overview report

Wales

N. Ireland

South West England

 

Shifting shores in the South West

Living with a changing coastline

 

The National Trust owns more than 740 miles of coastline around England, Wales and Northern Ireland, around a tenth of the total coastline for the three countries.

Peter Nixon, the trust's director of land, landscape and nature, said: 

"We're expecting more extremes, less predictability, more stormy events, combined with an underlying issue of rising sea levels."

He warned against the trap of believing "we can engineer our way out of this".

He said: "We all have to be sensitive to those who have become dependent on artificial defences, but if you keep up defending, you build up the risk of a catastrophic event.

"A false sense of security in artificial defences can lead you to a catastrophic collapse, as opposed to a managed impact.

"You can't hold the line everywhere, it's physically impossible and it's not good for society."

Mine for today

 Good signs Jeff.
That must mean -   "Table too wide to polish from this side" And " Beware - Gallic Shrug"


 Here's mine for today

Today's signs

More French signs

More French signs. Same hole in the ground

Precarious

I can't remember the name of the artist who made this...an American.

Attractions of France

 Jeff has swanned off to France, though I really can't see that they have better erosion over there than we do! This picture he sent me might give some clues to the kind of research he's involved in ......

 That'll be ... WARNING Wine Bottles Ahead, then will it?

From Viking warrior to English king -

Canute (Knud) The Great

'THE KING WHO COULD NOT STOP THE SEA 

Cnut the Great[2] (Old Norse: Knútr inn ríki;[3] c. 985 or 995 – 12 November 1035), more commonly known as Canute, was a king of Denmark, England,Norway, and parts of Sweden, together often referred to as the Anglo-Scandinavian or North Sea Empire. After his death, the deaths of his heirs within a decade, and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, his legacy was largely lost to history. Historian Norman Cantor has made the statement that he was "the most effective king in Anglo-Saxon history", despite his not being Anglo-Saxon.[4]

Landing in Wessex

According to the Peterborough manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, early in September 1015 "[Cnut] came intoSandwich, and straightway sailed around Kent to Wessex, until he came to the mouth of the Frome, and harried in Dorsetand Wiltshire and Somerset",[27] beginning a campaign of an intensity not seen since the days of Alfred the Great.[28] A passage from Emma's Encomium provides a picture of Cnut's fleet:

Ruler of the waves

Henry of Huntingdon, the 12th-century chronicler, tells how Cnut set his throne by the sea shore and commanded the tide to halt and not wet his feet and robes. Yet "continuing to rise as usual [the tide] dashed over his feet and legs without respect to his royal person. 

Then the king leapt backwards, saying: "Let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings. For there is none worthy of the name but God whom heaven, earth, and sea obey by eternal laws ".

So spoke King Canute the Great, the legend says, seated on his throne on the seashore, waves lapping round his feet. Canute had learned that his flattering courtiers claimed he was "So great, he could command the tides of the sea to go back". Now Canute was not only a religious man, but also a clever politician. He knew his limitations - even if his courtiers did not - so he had his throne carried to the seashore and sat on it as the tide came in, commanding the waves to advance no further. When they didn't, he had made his point that, though the deeds of kings might appear 'great' in the minds of men, they were as nothing in the face of God's power.

 This incident is usually misrepresented by popular commentators and politicians as an example of Cnut's arrogance.[95]

The encounter with the waves is said to have taken place at Thorn-eye (Thorn Island), or Southampton in Hampshire. There were and are numerous islands so named, including at Westminster and Bosham in West Sussex, both places closely associated with Cnut. According to the House of Commons Information Office,[97] Cnut set up a royal palace during his reign on Thorney Island (later to become known as Westminster) as the area was sufficiently far away from the busy settlement to the east known as London. It is believed that, on this site, Cnut tried to command the tide of the river to prove to his courtiers that they were fools to think that he could command the waves.[98] Conflictingly, a sign on Southampton city centre's Canute Road reads, "Near this spot AD 1028 Canute reproved his courtiers".[99][100]

wikipedia

Unforseen Dangers of the Beach

Rampaging Pedestrians....

....and Plants?

Cheap Fags

 Looks like the coast guards didn't manage to retrieve all of the shipwrecked Chinese Marlborough ciggies. Here's a few I found biodegrading on the beach. Overall the beach was remarkably clean and tidy though.

Except for the Saharan Dust

The Return of the Dinosaurs

 Down at Chesil Cove there is unusual activity :-

 Rock eating species.

WAVES -Someones been listening to "Soft Cell"

Say Hello Wave Goodbye Lyrics by Soft Cell

 Having a working break looking after Jo's house, where I can keep an eye on the diggers on Chesil beach.  It's still not looking it's old self but looks like it'll recover soon. Fab view. Even some sunshine. But the beach has not got it's perfect curve, yet.

Watching Erosion in Action

Meanwhile, over at West Bay Things still look Very unstable. We go to look at the cliffs that have fallen, as you do. But was that wise? There are cracks. Shall we move away! It's getting a bit chilly.

Don't Look Up

 An edifying walk on the beach with an Emeritus Professor - Vince the Invincible.

 At Ringstead Bay we see examples of ancient and recent landslips and gain insight into the dynamic meetings of Earth, Ocean and Atmosphere.

Puppy in 200ft cliff plunge

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/11064393.COASTGUARD_ROUND_UP__Puppy_in_200ft_cliff_plunge/?ref=rss

Interesting bit on erosion with Vince

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/coastal-erosion-at-hallsands-causes-and-effects/9967.html

"You can't hold the line everywhere"

The National Trust owns more than 740 miles of coastline around England, Wales and Northern Ireland, around a tenth of the total coastline for the three countries.
Peter Nixon, the trust's director of land, landscape and nature, said: 
"We're expecting more extremes, less predictability, more stormy events, combined with an underlying issue of rising sea levels."

He warned against the trap of believing "we can engineer our way out of this".

He said: "We all have to be sensitive to those who have become dependent on artificial defences, but if you keep up defending, you build up the risk of a catastrophic event.

"A false sense of security in artificial defences can lead you to a catastrophic collapse, as opposed to a managed impact.


"You can't hold the line everywhere, it's physically impossible and it's not good for society." 
From BBC  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26277373

Good Erosion

PIDDOCKS

Lessons from the Shore: Piddock Clams and Moon Snails copy

Posted by Julie Hall on July 25, 2012 at 9:24 am
by Leigh Calvez July 25, 2012, 9:24 a.m.

Piddock clam hole in stone

Then Gerlind pointed out the holes in the hard-packed mud all around us, some with tubes sticking out of them. She bent over to touch the creature with one finger and water squirted up as it retreated into the hole. She identified these creatures as Piddock clams and told their story. The Piddock clam starts its life as a larvae drifting along with the currents until it finds a nice patch of hard mud it can latch onto. As its shell starts to grow it begins to bore into the sea floor. Each year it adds another layer to its shell and digs deeper into the hole with only the long siphon emerging from the hole to filter its food from the water. It will spend its entire life in that one hole. “I know some people like that,” whispered someone next to me. I shuddered as I looked into the holes that reminded me of tiny graves.

We continued down the beach, stopping now and again to examine other tiny creatures. The life of the Piddock clam stayed with me as I walked. What would that be like to stay in the same hole for your whole life? For me, with my deep desire to travel and explore, the Piddock’ life sounded like a death sentence. The story of the Piddock clam would stay with me for a long while.

Then one of the naturalists found an adult moon snail alive with its muscular foot extruded from its shell. I was thrilled! I love moon snails with their beautifully rotund, white spiral shells.

I admired the moon snail’s freedom, going wherever and whenever it pleased, taking its home with it, unlike the Piddock clam that buries itself for life.

Why, I wondered, was I so repulsed by the Piddock clam and so in awe of this fat, pink snail? Then I understood something I’d not wanted to admit to myself. I had become a Piddock clam. For all the courageous, moon snailish wandering I had done in my life, my life had become a tight shell of fear of looking foolish, stupid, or bothersome. I had let fear bury me in layers of mud that kept me stuck. And I didn’t want to see it.

Fascinating Research Blog by Fran Rylands

http://jurassicresearch.wordpress.com/

Sun Bathing Safety Cage

A prototype sunbathing safety cage has been unveiled and it is hoped will be available for use along the Dorset Coast in the coming months. During early trials, volunteer sun-seekers were treated to simulated tanning in a controlled environment (indoors). Despite a few teething problems and participants claiming they looked like they had been cooked in a waffle maker due to the grid lines all over them, the manufacturers (Kenchef Waffle Makers Ltd.) have claimed 110% success.

Thought for the Day

Listen to Thought for the Day by Canon Angela Tilby here Thought for the Day

Signs

Hi Jeff and Julia

There have been signs up.  A huge one was at Burton Bradstock (which people ignored) - Last time I looked, it was no longer there, as a rock fall had landed on it!

http://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/11024250.Sightseers_ignore_warnings_following_West_Bay_rock_fall/?ref=var_0

The above Bridport News story tells of people ignoring warnings - even after 400 tons have fallen down..

Shock, Awe and Ellipsis: art and climate change

http://www.publicartonline.org.uk/whatsnew/news/article.php/Shock,+Awe+and+Ellipsis%3A+art+and+climate+change

"Most people think erosion is a terrible thing, but that’s why the coast is here. The sea will eventually win. It might not be for 100 years, but there will come a point where it will no longer be possible to stop this from happening.”

Richard Edmonds, earth science manager at Dorset County Council’s Jurassic Coast Team

 Signage Experiments -

 for development (or deletion?)

Safe Tea First

Badges

Non-slip matting being tested

 I bought this roll of NON SLIP matting. Thought it might help with the Erosion Project.

If we cover all the paths and cliff tops with it and employ a cleaner once a week, that should stop accidents?

But we won't stop trying to Stop it.

But we won't stop trying to Stop it.

EROSION CONTROL MAGAZINE

Get Your Free Subscription to Erosion Control Magazine Today!

http://www.erosioncontrol.com/EC/EChome.aspx 

January-February 2014 Vol. 21, No.1

 

FEATURE ARTICLE  

More Than Just a Pretty Face

Issue Highlights

Geosynthetics and RECPs    Sediment Control  

Silt-Fence 

IN THIS ISSUE

Strong Streambanks: Beauty and Function

More Than Just a Pretty Face

Of Erosion, Soils, and Seeds

Finding a Strategy for Sediment

Get Your Free Subscription to Erosion ControlMagazine Today!

Shoreline Strategies

The fight against coastal erosion means planning for any contingency.

It’s home to 153 million people, or about 53% of the total US population. It generates tens of billions of dollars each year through industrial and business activities.

It is the coast: the 95,331 miles of ocean and Great Lakes coastlines. And while the population continues to increase in coastal areas—3,600 people relocate to coastal areas each day, according to the Office of Coastal and Resource Management of the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—the land is also becoming increasingly eroded.   

The erosion is due, in part, to human activity and to natural processes of sand erosion and deposition. Another potential cause for which many communities are now planning is that of rising sea levels due to climate change. Sea level rise exposes coastal communities to floods and increases their vulnerability to storm surges.

It’s a topic of growing interest to academicians, politicians, and coastal residents and business owners. Questions abound: How severe will it get? Should construction still be allowed in erosion-prone areas? Should there be a buyout of homes or other structures in high-risk zones?

Key elements of the technical letter include the following:

·             Establishing a strategic decision context for the project area, including an assessment of the potential for significant or catastrophic consequences in the near and far term. This would include awareness of strategic development investments that have the potential to shape future and long-term community development.

·             Using a variety of planning options—anticipatory, adaptive, and reactive—depending on the cost and the risk of getting the answer wrong.

·             Creating an awareness of critical thresholds, system connectivity, and cumulative system effects.

·             Framing and guiding the discussion “so that all involved can feel comfortable that we have adequately and realistically assessed the risks,” notes Moritz—from low risk to high risk—over the adaptation horizon of 100 years. 

While many project analyses are focused on a particular project and the impact on its immediate area, “in some cases, there is connectivity with other factors in the community,” Moritz points out.

“There are potential negative impacts if you do something in one place versus another,” she adds. “We are trying to be aware of the system and cumulative effects of what any particular action could have. Additionally, we’re trying to be aware of critical thresholds or tipping points beyond which an alternative is not sustainable.”