Where has our beach gone?

The impacts of the UK’s 2014 storms

Destructive storm waves tend to erode coasts and beaches, removing beach sand and gravel. A frequent question after a storm is, ‘Where has our beach gone?’ This article looks at where the beach sediment goes, what takes it there, whether it will come back and how long that recovery will take, and puts this in the context of the UK 2013/14 storms. If you are studying coasts, read on

Paul Russell, Gerd Masselink, Tim Scott, Daniel Conley and Mark Davidson

Huge storm waves pound Chesil Beach, Dorset during the extreme storms of winter 2013/14

The coastal zone is a popular area for people to live. It houses 10% of the world’s population but represents only 2% of the global land surface. It is also important to society from an infrastructural, environmental and economic point of view. At the same time, the coastal zone is a hazardous environment. There are short-term threats (storms) and long-term threats (sea-level rise), for coastal communities and resources.

Living and working in the coastal zone makes society vulnerable to coastal hazards, as demonstrated by recent events, including: