Beach Scour

Image: © MDS Taken: 20 Feb 2007

The wave action along the sea wall, Marine Lake keeps the central zone of the beach, at Clevedon south, well scoured out, leaving high level pebble against the new Rivers Division sea wall protection works. The waves come in at Atlantic fetch and rather than deflect around the Wains Hill point run along the Marine Lake wall, all the energy pouring into this reach. The Pier and reflection and defining rock ridge that protects Clevedon north beach from complete erosion can be seen in the background. Whether there would be a pebble ridge if the foreshore were open is unknown. The Victorian structures pictures suggest a much sandier and larger sediment zone than at date, this would have been scoured out by normal wave regimes with the new hydraulic forms since 1934. In addition to this the main Severn channel would seem to be deepening offshore.

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