Coastal cells

The coast of Great Britain has been divided up into a number of 'coastal cells'. These are lengths of coastline and associated near shore areas where movement of coarse sediment (sand and shingle) is largely self contained. Thus they are defined as coastal process units where the physical processes are relatively independent of those operating in adjacent areas. These 'units' or 'cells' (shown in the figure below) provide the framework for developing Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs).

Caption: Location of the coastal cells in England and Wales. The sub-cell boundaries (again within which the movement of course sediment is largely self contained) provide the basis for SMPs.