In another process known as ‘longshore drift’, beach material (sand, shingle, stones, etc.,) moves in the direction of the sea current (in this case north to south). The beach material plays an important role in protecting coastlines. Such beach material plays an important role in protecting the coastal cliffs and shores. Sea defences interfere with this natural process in that material that would usually be deposited further down the beach as a result of the normal wave action is actually washed back out to sea, with the result that the poundiing sea has a more direct route to the cliff base.
The effect of the processes can be seen quite clearly when you are walking the coast if you know what to look for. As I understand it, the crenelated form that is a consequences of sea defences is not just the bite-like gaps you see in the photographs; although that is part of the ongoing process, rather it is the process writ on a larger scale.
The dominant feature on the landscape here is the huge natural gas terminal just before you reach the village. The terminal is linked to the Rough Offshore Gas Field some 29 kilometres offshore, the United Kingdom’s main long-range gas storage site. It is located in a partially depleted gas field in porous rock located about 3,000 metres below the North Sea. Gas is pumped in to it during the summer months and stored for winter use. It can store gas equivalent to about thirteen days usage for the whole of the UK. The Easington terminal processes gas from the Rough underground gas storage facility and facilitates its entry to the gas supply network for the UK.
The lagoons here, behind the dunes to the left in the photograph, are an important habitat for a variety of seabirds, waterfowl and marshland birds and are home to a large breeding colony of little terns that equates to about 1% of the British little tern population. In addition to the lagoons, additional bird habitats in the district include intertidal mudflats and sandflats; saltmarsh, sand dunes and the estuary of the Humber River.
It seemed like a nice time to bathe in the warm, satisfying glow of our 28th Wedding Anniversary that we celebrate today. Subsequently, a brilliant yellow and orange sunset filled the eastern sky and provided us with a kaleidoscope colour across a vast and endless sky with myriad shades of grey reflecting on the waters of the mighty Humber and the even mightier North Sea beyond. As we headed for our anniversary dinner at a local hotel it seemed that there could not have been a better ending to the day.
My love,
my life,
my darling wife,
All for you!