Kenneth Pye Associates Ltd.
 Scientific Research, Consultancy and Investigations

              
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Geomorphological response of Welsh sand dunes to sea level rise
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Project funded by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW)

Mean sea level is predicted to increase by between 30 cm and 1 metre over the next 100 years.  The rate of increase may exceed anything which has occurred in the last 4000 years.  The geomorphological response of Welsh sand dune systems and the consequence for the habitat resource is a key issue that needs to be built into future management plans.

This study examined the likely response of Welsh sand dune systems to sea level rise and predictions of increased storminess over the next 100 years.  Historical Trend Analysis (HTA) and Expert Geomorphological Assessment (EGA) were used to predict future erosion/accretion rates and the extent of habitat loss/gain.  Natural and anthropogenic constraints on the ability of the dunes to readjust were assessed, and management strategies suggested to maintain the sand dune SAC resource in Wales.

   
    Dune accretion following beach nourishment at                    Lateral and vertical accretion of frontal dune ridge at 
    Talacre, North Wales                                                         Aberffraw, Anglesey

Historical Trend Analysis at Whiteford Burrows, South Wales,
using successive Ordnance Survey maps to identify shoreline
movement over the past 100 years. 

Publications and Reports

Pye, K. and Saye, S.E. (2005) The Geomorphological Response of Welsh Sand Dunes to Sea Level Rise Over the Next 100 Years and the Management Implications for SAC and SSSI Sites. Contract Science Report 670, prepared for Countryside Council for Wales. Kenneth Pye Associates Ltd., External Investigation Report ER513.

Kenneth Pye Associates Ltd. - Environmental Consultants
Page last modified: October 03, 2007