Wind statistics related to coastal erosion

[mike57]

This question comes about from watching a feature on the latest coastal erosion at Skipsea on Yorkshire Calendar tonight.

Erosion rates have increased in the last 10 years here.

I am not sure what measure one would need, ultimately coastal erosion is a result of wave action, and waves are generated by the wind. It appears that wave height is governed by wind speed, is it a linear relationship?

Is the UK getting windier, and are there any statistic to support it. There is no doubt the rate of erosion has increased in this area, and I cant see any other obvious causes e.g. a change in the underlying geology.

A quick 'Google' hasn't really uncovered anything.

Are there any windspeed and direction records going back over the years, I dont mean just exceptional gusts, but wind speed over time, as an isolated sudden gust isn't going to do much coastal damage, but a sustained gale over several hours will.

Not sure if this is the right area to post this it could fit under several headings.

[4wd]

We don't get Calendar here as we're in Newcastle region but the coastal erosion there is a natural long shore drift process which forms Spurn Head from material transported down the coast..

How quickly this happens in any location won't be directly correlated to one specific factor.

You'd have to look carefully at anything changed further up the coast which could be holding material and accelerating the loss further south for example.
Perhaps there are local factors such as increased human traffic because the caravan site is more popular (complete guess!)
Also while the long term retreat might be averaged at say 1 metre per year it will tend to be very variable with very little lost some years but then a group of years with much more at any one specific place - though after a period of loss that area might be significantly more stable for a while as another spot takes more of the wave force.
The problem is that until the beach reaches the Wolds all that land is soft glacial debris which has no real resistance to the Sea and anything we do will only result in a temporary slow down.

Edited January 16, 2017 by 4wd

[hillbilly]

They have just replaced the turbines at Ovendem moor windfarm from 23 smaller ones to 9 enormous ones,here near Halifax.The original windfarm was built in 1992 and I did read recently that it is 15% less windy there now than 20 years ago.Have just tried to find some info or data but cannot at moment .

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[fUnKy]

Relationship between waves and wind is not linear; there are two types of wave fetch limited and non fetch limited, so basically wind is a function of how long that wind has been able to act on the water.. generally waves are considered in a spectrum and certain Mount of variability within that spectrum..fairly easy to hind cast to find typical significant wave heights from wind with some limited information.

Erosion has short term and long term effects.. more storms equals storm response to beach and if beach is already compromised the hinterland such as cliff faces.. but good to remember that the land is always moving and what is taken from one place often ends up somewhere else.. longshore transport.

Wind data.. hmmm... certainly getting more stormy.. perhaps some data in freely available Pitt report from a few years back. Data quite easy to get hold of but may not be processed. Not sure to mind.

On phone otherwise I'd try to be more detailed (I'm coastal engineer).