This document contains all of the case studies you need to ace the Coasts section of your Geography exams. Tailor made for AQA A level Geography by a triple A* student, it can also be used for other exam boards and qualifications. Please do message me if you have any questions!
Coasts Case Study Pack - A level Geography
By eGeographyMan
This case study pack contains:
● 1x Detailed UK Coastal Environment
● 1x Detailed India Coastal Environment
● 1x Detailed Kiribati Coastal Environment
Coasts is a relatively simple topic to revise for, and most people who take Geography A level will
have already studied them at GCSE level to some degree. As long as you learn the theory
behind coasts being natural systems, coastal processes, coastal landforms and coastal
management, you should be fine. A lot of it is common sense. That being said, as ever, case
studies are vital for the coasts topic. I would definitely recommend learning as much information
as possible about different coastal areas as questions commonly ask you to refer to real
examples in your answer.
, Holderness
Holderness’ coastline is around 61 kilometres long. The cliffs are mainly made of boulder clay
(till). Due to its position facing the north sea, Holderness commonly faces powerful destructive
waves, especially during storms.
What is happening?
- Erosion - Soft boulder clay easily eroded by waves. In some places, the rate of erosion
has been above 10 metres a year.
- Mass movement - Boulder clay prone to slumping when it is wet. Water makes the clay
heavier and holds particles together, making it unstable.
- Transportation - Prevailing winds from the northeast transport material southwards and
create ocean currents which transport material by longshore drift. Rapid erosion ensures
there is always a lot of sediment available for transportation.
- Deposition - Where the ocean current meets the Humble River’s outflow, the flow gets
more turbulent and sediment is deposited.
Why does Holderness’ coastline need management?
- The Holderness coastline has retreated by approximately 4 kilometres over the last 2,000
years. Over 30 villages have been lost.
- Continued erosion could cause social, economic and environmental issues, for example:
- the loss of settlements and livelihoods (e.g. village of Skipsea is at risk and 80,000
square metres of farmland is lost on the Holderness coastline annually which affects
farmers’ livelihoods)
- the loss of infrastructure (e.g. gas terminal at Easington only 25 metres from the cliff’s
edge)
- the loss of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) (e.g. lagoons near Easington
provide habitats for birds)
What hard engineering has been used so far on Holderness’ coastline?
Around 11.4 kilometres of Holderness’ 61 kilometre coastline is currently protected by hard
engineering:
- Bridlington has a 4.7 kilometre long sea wall and timber groynes
- Hornsea has a concrete sea wall, timber groynes and a riprap, all of which protect the
village
- In 1991, 2 rock groynes and a 500 metre long revetment were built at Mappleton. These
cost £2 million and were built to protect the village and the B1242 coastal road
- In Skipsea, a landowner has used gabions to protect his caravan park
- In Withernsea, there are groynes and a sea wall. Some riprap was put in front of the wall
after it was damaged by severe storms in 1992
- Easington gas terminal is protected by a revetment
- Spurn head’s eastern side is protected by groynes and riprap
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