Artistic Clues to Coastal Change

I've just been reading an interesting article from the BBC about the use of 19th Century paintings to aid the study of coastal erosion...

Many Victorian paintings such as the one above ('Bonchurch, Isle of Wight' by Thomas Leeson Rowbotham, 1863) show coastal scenery, geological features and coastal defences in lots of detail, and Dr Robert McInnes, a retired coastal engineer, has devised a system for using these paintings to assess change.

The full article from the BBC is here.

Coasts may be "abandonded to sea"

That's according to Lord Smith, the new chairman of the Environment Agency, who says that coastal erosion is the most difficult issue that the Agency have to deal with, but that some parts of the coastline are so badly eroded that they are not worth protecting.


The picture shows part of the Holderness Coast (East Yorkshire), but large parts of Norfolk and Suffolk are under threat as well. Read the full article from the BBC here.

"Tourism suicide" for Bournemouth?

People in Bournemouth - one of Britain's top seaside resorts - have accused the local council of "tourism suicide" after £6 million was spent on coastal defences in the area.

Two million tonnes of shingle (stones, shells and flint) were dredged from Poole Harbour, and dumped on the famous golden sands at Bournemouth, in order to provide "a sturdier coastal defence" and protect coastal properties.

But businesses in the area are already suffering, according to owners of local surf shops and clubs - the shingle, apparently, has changed the shape of the waves so that they are no longer suitable for surfing.

Dr David Harlow, the council's coastal protection expert, claims that if the work had not been carried out, then 3000 properties and 100 cliff-top businesses would be at risk of falling into the sea.

The pictures show Bournemouth before and after... What do you think of the change? Worthwhile or a waste of money?