Latest news with #coastalErosion
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- The Guardian
‘Serious risk to life': scenic Isle of Wight road could fall into sea, warns council
It is considered one of the most scenic routes in the UK, an 11-mile stretch of road that skirts the coastal cliffs and enjoys sweeping views of the Channel. The problem is that Military Road on the southern coast of the Isle of Wight is getting just a little too close to those plunging cliffs for comfort. Fears are being raised that erosion has left the road just a few metres from the cliffs – in some parts less than 5 metres – and lives could be in danger. Becca Cameron, a councillor who called a public meeting on the situation, said urgent safety measures were needed to prevent a tragedy. 'I feel there is a serious risk to life,' she said. 'Drone footage shows how serious the risk is and how close the cliff is to the road. When a bus passes over the cliff, you can feel the vibrations. We have no warning system if the road collapses.' One person who travels on the local bus that follows the route described parts of it as a 'rollercoaster'. Others called for the road to be diverted inland or for weight restrictions to be imposed. Some local people want crash barriers and lower speed limits. Military Road is the responsibility of the Isle of Wight council as the highways authority. It said the route was experiencing the 'real effects of geological erosion.' In the late 1990s it carried out work on a section running along Afton Down, which included bolstering the route's chalky foundations. But the council is worried over a stretch of about two miles between the village of Brook and a caravan and camping site at Compton Farm. In a report published last year, the council said the issues were being caused by 'natural coastal erosion, and water coming off the downs and forming chines [a steep sided gorge] by wearing down the soft clay and orange Wealden rock.' It added: 'A potential alternative option is to reroute this stretch of the road inland which would guarantee the route for a further 20 years or more.' But it warned this would cost more than £20m. The Military Road was constructed in about 1860 to supply coastal garrisons and consisted at that time of only a narrow unmade track. Almost a century ago, it was adopted by the Isle of Wight county council (a former incarnation of the local authority). The road was widened and certain sections were realigned because even then, they were threatened by cliff erosion. In more recent years the climate emergency and extreme weather events have exacerbated the problem. The Isle of Wight council is keen to keep the route open because it connects communities and is also a major tourist attraction. Visit England has advised people to visit before it is too late. It said: 'Running parallel with the west coast of the isle, the A3055 (aka Military Road) is a road trip that should be taken sooner rather than later, as erosion along the coast could see parts of the road disappear. 'The 11-mile route may be short, but it offers a wealth of sweeping ocean views and memorable country landscapes.'
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Expert warns of alarming new threat to homes perched atop coastal bluffs: 'Waves are going to be hitting further back and with more energy'
Erosion is worsening along the California coastline, significantly increasing the risk to coastal homes. The Isla Vista bluffs are an excellent example of how the eroding shore is affecting local residents. As the KEYT News Channel reported, rising sea levels and warming global temperatures are contributing to California's coastline erosion. The Isla Vista, California, bluffs have typically eroded by about six inches annually in the past. However, current trends could increase the erosion level up to six feet in future years. "Rising sea levels is going to mean that those waves are going to be hitting further back and with more energy over time as the levels of the ocean get higher," said Charles Lester, UC Santa Barbara's Coastal Policy Center director. Along the California coast and many other places worldwide, shifting climate patterns are creating issues for homeowners. For example, balconies of homes along Del Playa Drive in Isla Vista have been collapsing into the ocean. Coastal erosion directly affects homeowners and business owners because it renders land uninhabitable and poses a danger to people. Worsening erosion leads to damaged infrastructure, intense flooding, and declining property values. Unstable coastal ecosystems are more vulnerable to destruction when extreme storms hit. Without stable land to rebuild on, communities struggle to maintain their established way of life. With intense weather becoming increasingly common due to the planet's overheating, coastal areas face even greater risks in the years ahead. In Santa Barbara County, California, an erosion monitoring program is in place to prompt action when buildings become too close to the edge of the cliffs. Meanwhile, UC Santa Barbara is developing a long-term plan to protect the campus' coastline amid rising sea levels. Do you think your house could withstand a hurricane? No way Maybe a weak one I'm not sure It definitely could Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Other potential solutions for coastal areas include dune restoration projects, planting native vegetation near the shore, and building seawalls. If you live near the coast, you can protect your home from rising sea levels and subsiding land by floodproofing or elevating it. You take resilience into your own hands by disaster-proofing your home and becoming more self-sufficient with your power usage by installing solar panels. When paired with backup battery storage, solar panels help you withstand extreme weather without relying on the grid. To get started, consider using EnergySage's free tool to compare solar installer quotes and receive up to $10,000 off your upfront investment. If you're concerned about coastal erosion where you live, read more about critical climate issues like sea level rise and discuss what you learn with others. Heightened awareness about the risks of increasing erosion can help people plan for natural disasters and preserve their lives and investments. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Telegraph
04-07-2025
- Climate
- Telegraph
The European coastlines that are disappearing fastest
Some of Europe's best-loved coastlines are disappearing before our eyes. Swathes of Spain's Costa del Sol, Malta's wild islands, the coves and cliffs of the French Riviera – all are under threat, stolen away by rising, tempestuous seas. In the Algarve, Portugal's Minister for Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, warned in April that 'emergency intervention' would be needed to replenish Fuseta Beach in Olhão after extensive storms. Some 150,000 cubic metres of sand will be required to restore its 600m-long, 30m-wide coastline in time for summer. In Spain, 30,000 cubic metres of sand are washed away every year from Barcelona's beaches alone; in 2024, the province lost up to 25m of sand to storms, according to local authorities. Barcelona's beaches are augmented by artificial sand, but of the 700,000 cubic metres added to the coastline in 2010, an estimated 70 per cent has now disappeared. What causes coastal erosion? It is a natural process, but it is often exacerbated by human and climate factors, says Maria Ferreira, Director of International Programme at the Coastal & Marine Union (EUCC), which promotes sustainable coastal development in Europe. 'Storms are a significant cause of coastal erosion, particularly for rapid and dramatic shoreline changes,' she explains. 'Other natural factors such as waves, currents, wind, sea level rise, and changes in sediment supply play crucial roles. 'Human activities further complicate and intensify these processes, making coastal erosion a complex challenge.' This could be housing or golf course developments on clifftops, dredging, the construction of coastal barriers or deforestation of mangroves. Experts predict that as the climate crisis deepens, coastal erosion will worsen. 'With projected sea level rise of around one metre over the next century, the delivery of wave energy will increase due to longer exposure times,' explains Dr John Barlow, Associate Professor in Applied Geomorphology at the University of Sussex. 'We can therefore expect an acceleration in erosion rates.' It seems that no area of Europe is immune to the effects. In 2021, satellite photo comparisons of the Greek coastline by the European Space Agency revealed that 10 per cent had receded by more than three metres per annum between 1995 and 2020, with some areas such as deltas and estuaries retreating by up to 30m every year. Britain's shores, too, are under threat. According to the Environment Agency, East Anglia has 'some of the fastest eroding coasts in Europe': in 2023, it reported that more than 2,500 homes in Norfolk and Suffolk are at direct risk from coastal erosion. The UK's other fast-deteriorating holiday destinations include West Bay in Dorset, Newhaven and Birling Gap in East Sussex, and parts of Cornwall such as Newquay and Perranuthnoe. Here we detail the European destinations that are suffering the most from coastal erosion, and what is being done to protect them. Europe's most at-risk holiday hotspots Nouvelle-Aquitaine coast, France More than a quarter of France's coastline is at risk from coastal erosion, according to Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM) – the nation's geological survey. One such area is Nouvelle-Aquitaine: 'By 2050, the sandy coastline of the Gironde and Landes region could lose an average of 50m, and the rocky coastline of the Basque country 27m,' the BRGM warns. 'In Charente-Maritime, on the Pointe de Gatseau at the southern tip of Ile d'Oléron, the sea nibbles away some 20m on average every year.' To keep track of the changing coastline and inform conservation projects, local authorities have launched the CoastSnap initiative. It asks visitors to upload photographs of key marine areas, enabling conservationists to monitor how the landscape is changing. Andalucia, Spain If you've ever visited Andalucia's beaches in springtime, you will have witnessed how winter's storms claim the sands along the Costa del Sol, in areas such as Malaga, Nerja and Torremolinos. The Spanish government has declared it 'a situation of serious regression', with a loss of 45m worth of beach in some areas between 2016 and 2022. As well as weather events and rising seas, the damage has also been attributed to local construction, such as beach bars, golf courses and housing developments. A new coastal modelling tool developed by the University of Oxford's Environmental Change Institute, CoastalME, is currently being used to map Andalucia's 1,200km coastline for the first time, in a bid to better understand and manage its conservation. Zakynthos, Greece This summer, the most famous beach on this Ionian island will remain closed for a third year, authorities have announced, due to erosion of the bay and cliffs. Navagio Beach or 'Shipwreck Beach', so-called for the wreck of the MV Panagiotis that ran aground here in 1980, has suffered erosion from high tourism activity, earthquakes, landslides and storms in recent years. Parts of the schooner itself have begun deteriorating too. In 2028, seven people were injured by a falling cliff. Atlantic coast, Portugal In January, Portugal announced it will invest €20.2 million (£17.01 million) in the preservation and protection of its Atlantic coastline, including areas such as the Algarve, Lisbon and Porto. An estimated 20 per cent of its 943km coastline is being eroded by six to eight metres per year, and coastal protection has been declared a 'national priority' by the government. The funding will support several coastal protection and defence projects, such as the strengthening of sea cliffs, removal of illegal developments and replenishment of beaches. Bonifacio, Corsica, France On the south coast of Corsica, this old defensive town and its citadel are perched on clifftops overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Bonifacio was founded in 828, and, over the centuries, the waves have carved away at the cliff base: in some instances, the buildings and rocks have been almost completely undercut. Authorities have declared 30 houses at risk of falling into the sea, and in 2023 two large faults were identified in the crumbling cliffs.
The Guardian
03-07-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
NSW weather: SES says conditions set to ease as rain moves offshore
The NSW State Emergency Service has responded to 1,442 incidents in the past 24 hours but on Thursday morning said conditions produced by a vigorous east coast low were easing. 'The rain has moved offshore, so that is good news,' NSW deputy commissioner, Debbie Platz, said. A majority of those incidents involved fallen trees and power lines, damaged properties and vehicles, and flood-related tasks. Four emergency warnings remained in place where properties have been impacted by coastal erosion, Platz said.
ABC News
02-07-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Understanding rainfall forecasts as southern NSW cops a drenching
As wild weather hit the New South Wales coast on Tuesday, Sydney was forecast to receive between 45 and120 millimetres of rain, with even higher totals expected further south. So, how close did forecasts land to what has eventuated? Well, so far, they have been pretty spot on. Strong winds were forecast for large areas of the coast. Heavy rain was expected from Sydney and further south, particularly south of Wollongong. There was also a warning for damaging surf and potential coastal erosion. Observations from the Bureau of Meteorology up to 9am Wednesday show the heaviest rainfall has indeed extended across the southern districts. Sydney copped a drenching, with falls of 70mm — smack bang in the middle of their forecast range. Bellambi, a suburb of Wollongong, recorded 90mm of rainfall up to 9am Wednesday morning. But it was areas south of Wollongong that got the most, with broad falls between 100 and 200mm for the coastal strip. Ulladulla had 224mm of rain up to 9am on Wednesday — its heaviest July rainfall on record for the airport, with data back to 1994. Nowra also had its heaviest July rain in at least 25 years, recording 157mm — the majority falling in the six hours to midnight NSW SES crews have responded to thousands of calls since the start of this event, including floodwater rescues around the South Coast. The heavy rainfall south of Sydney was also met with significant wind gusts in excess of 100 kilometres per hour across the region, and large waves up to 13 metres at Port Kembla. While the BOM's predictions were accurate, the forecasts in the lead-up did offer a broad range of possibilities. Wollongong, for example, was forecast to have anywhere between 60 and 150mm on Tuesday. It is something that speaks to the type of system that was producing the rain, and just how sensitive to change its outcome can be. Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said while some systems were large and fairly consistent with the amount of rain they dropped, others were more patchy or erratic. "A smaller range will be in a cold front, which has a large band of rain moving across southern parts of the country and it's consistent," he said. "The large rainfall ranges are particularly when we get these east coast lows, or these [wind] sheer zones, or coastal trough. This means just a small shift can change the outcome dramatically. "You just have to look north and south of Sydney [yesterday]. North of Sydney there's only 20mm. South of Sydney there's almost 250 around Ulladulla," he said. The rainfall forecast is something that is often misinterpreted though, so let's unpack what the forecast actually means, using Sydney's Tuesday forecast as an example. If you looked at the forecast, it told you the CBD was expected to get between 45 and 125mm of rain. What this range is showing is the most likely outcome for the suburb. But it's not telling you all the possible outcomes. Monash University meteorologist Michael Barnes said the forecast range was based on weather models from the BOM and other agencies, which essentially look at a whole lot of plausible scenarios of what could happen, and break it down into probability. The lower part of the range means there is a 75 per cent chance of getting at least that much rainfall — so, pretty good odds. And the upper end of the range means there is a 25 per cent chance of getting more than that figure — so it is less likely. In other words, of all the possible scenarios weather models had for Sydney, three quarters of them had at least 45mm of rain falling and one quarter had at least 125mm falling. "The range they are showing is the middle bunch. It's where it's all clustering," Mr Barnes said. "That doesn't mean there aren't [scenarios] that have something much higher or lower, and it doesn't mean those scenarios can't happen." The reason rainfall is presented as a range, while temperature is just a straight shot, is because rainfall can be particularly tricky to forecast and can change quite easily. Mr Barnes said this is especially true for severe weather situations. "With temperature, the range of possibility, especially on the short-term … is generally more consistent. And that's just because of what causes heat and cold," he said. "But with rainfall, things happen on very small spatial scales. "Severe weather … is really tied to location, intensity, placement, timing and speed of these weather systems. And they're quite tough to get right. There often can be fairly significant spread in the small detail of these weather systems. He said even when it is raining in your area, things can look very different from block to block. "So everyone will know it's possible when they're driving from the shops that it's raining there, but by the time they get home its not raining. That can happen over just a few kilometres," he said. "So to be able to capture exactly where the pockets of rainfall are going to fall at specific times are not really what these systems are built for. "What they're capturing is the large scale estimate of what the rainfall is." The system this week was a good example of that, with totals varying wildly from suburb to suburb around Sydney. Of course, the rainfall range is just one part of the overall forecast. For this storm, for example, some of the BOM's strongest warnings have been for wind speeds and dangerous swell — something that is still on the cards. Mr Narramore said, in these events, they try to convey some of the nuance in their forecast description, severe weather warnings, and how they communicate to the media.
