Coastal scientists braced for storm-force research

A team of internationally-renowned scientists studying the power of waves, and the effect they have upon gravel beaches and coastal erosion, are bracing themselves for a storm as part of their fieldwork on one of Cornwall’s most notorious and celebrated coastlines. , please see the below. The researchers are measuring how Porthleven, in West Cornwall, responds to the powerful waves that batter its shore in one of the most comprehensive experiments of its type ever conducted. Led by Plymouth University, the team are hoping to brave at least one winter storm buffeting, and are using cameras, laser scanners and acoustic devices to formulate the clearest picture yet of how gravel is moved up and down beaches. Professor Gerd Masselink, of Plymouth University’s School of Marine Science and Engineering, is leading the research effort. He said: “Gravel beaches extend along more than 1,000 km of the coastline of England and Wales and represent sustainable coastal defences that can protect low-lying regions from flooding. However, limited scientific guidance is currently available to provide beach managers with operational management tools to predict the response of these beaches to storm conditions.