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Shingle recycling at Dungeness
Longshore drift is from west to east and the tip of the Ness if left to its
own devices would continue to move eastwards as it has done for the last 2000
years or so. The short term consequence of this movement is that there is a
deficit of material immediately in front of the nuclear power stations. Clearly
this situation is unsustainable and as a result the beach nourishment to build
up the shore and protect the building from being undermined and possibly falling
into the sea. This is undertaken by collecting material at the east of the site
and moving it to the west. Longshore drift ensures the material is carried to
the shoreline in front of the station and eventually back to where it was originally
collected in the east. From here it is scooped up again and carried back to
the west (see Figure below); a never-ending cycle of recharge!
Caption:
The shingle recycling at Dungeness taken from (Doody
2001)
Comment: In Rye
Harbour a similar recycling scheme is in operation.
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Guidance: Stopping the recycling process would allow the natural
evolution of the ness to continue and with it the restoration of the damaged
shingle ridge structure. This is unlikely to occur due to the presence
of the power stations.
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References
Doody, J.P.
2001.
Coastal Conservation and Management: an Ecological Perspective. Kluwer, Academic Publishers, Boston, USA, 306 pp.
Conservation Biology Series, 13
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