Where has our sand gone?
The short answer is in the above illustration. But it is a bit more complicated!
RED is Loss, BLUE is Gain.
First a big thank you to The Plymouth Coastal Observatory who have provided these images and recorded this data. We have been in touch with them many times about different Tidelines porjects, most recently about a Coastsnap facility (see below) for the town. You can find all their data, maps etc freely avaialble on their website.
Sand keeps moving! Sometimes drastically as a result of one storm. And there is sometimes considerable local discussion and concern. The most obvious current movement has exposed old pipes, drains and groines around the RNLI area of Exmouth seafront. The above map shows the changes in the placement of sand from 2007 to 2021 based on beach measurement. As such it portrays a 14 year tendency to gain in some places and lose in others. In short losses in the middle area (the Maer) and gains either side. Records of this accuracy seem to start in 2007. Between 2007 and 2021 there are maps showing annual change for each individual year which, looked at together, show variations which don’t always follow the same progression as the 14 year overall direction. Here is the 2020 – 21 annual change:
These images show gain and loss but it would take closer analysis to find out if there is a general gain or loss or a retreating of the shoreline or a change of low water angle of slope.
Below some of the annual maps from 2014 onwards (for a year only each time).
Coastnap is a worldwide project to collect data through photographs of shorelines taken and uploaded by the public. There are several on the south coast monitored by the Plymouth Observatory and it would be useful for Exmouth to have one. We are working with the Observatory at the moment to find a good site. This just involves the placement of a frame/cradle the size and shape of a mobile phone on a fence or railing overlooking the beach. Anyone can take and upload a photo thereby providing updated records of changes to the beach.
2019-2020 (image above)
2018-2019
2017-2018
2016-2017
2015-2016
2014-2015
Also adding here 2007 – 2012
2007-2012
Exe Trail Plankton Mural
Exe Trail plankton mural near Lympstone Back just before lockdown Tidelines worked with the Exe Estuary Managment Partnership to deliver a workshop at Lymsptone primary school. The kids looked at images of plankton and tiny creatures from the oceans and used a variety...
Alive Alive 0!
ALIVE ALIVE O! Calling the Blue Mussel The mussel beds in the Exe are now badly depleted and many are wondering how we can restore the natural habitats of the Estuary. Adult mussels cannot move, but their larvae disperse through the water and can travel. Many species...
The Salmon Run Day
The SALMON RUN DAY 8 relay sections, 7 changeover locations, 9 ceremonial invocations, many dates slices, several pubs by several lovely bridges, 74 runners and 50 miles over fields and down roads up and down hills and by the river, the salmon (Samantha) was passed...
Salmon Run
Salmon Run Salmon Run Sunday 25 September 2022Run with the salmon! The Atlantic salmon is a keystone species, an indicator of the health of our waters. The story of the salmon also tells us about climate change and changing water temperatures in seas and...
The Incredible Salmon
The Amazing Exe Salmon Salmon mean a lot to people for their amazing journeys, their waterfall leaping skills, their size and their appearance in our iconic rivers. They have a place in the mythology of our culture as heroic creatures and sources of wisdom. And they...
Singing the Sea & Alive Alive O!
Singing the Sea & Alive Alive O! Image: Plymouth University 2nd year Illustration students - Tidelines project Two projects connected by sound. Sound is different under the water. Water can carry sounds far further than air. What sounds can we hear? What...
Maps and Tides at Marpool School, Exmouth
Tides and Maps at Marpool School How does the tide work? What shape is the eastuary? How does a map work? Who is it for? We explored such questions as these in 2 days of workshops with one class from Marpool school, one day on location by the estuary making...
To find the Exe tides reach
Finding Tides Reach Exeter (by canoe, paddle board and motor vessel) Where does the tide reach in Exeter on a high tide? How does this affect Exeter, its inhabitants and the creatures that live in and move through these waters now, in the past and what about the...
Body of Water: water quality creative lab
Body of Water: a water quality workshop day Fish, amphibian, and reptile, warm-blooded bird and mammal-each of us carries in our veins a salty stream in which the elements sodium, potassium, and calcium are combined in almost the same proportions as in sea water.―...
Wider Than The Sea
What if the locals advised the visitors about their estuary? How to enjoy the place from an insiders view? And how to respect it in order to preserve it? ‘Wider than a river’ is a collection of generously shared thoughts and reflections from people who live...