Gualan Island Supplementary Report
Transcription
Gualan Island Supplementary Report
GUALAN ISLAND SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT, SOUTH FORD, OUTER HEBRIDES Final Report Ref: TSE/SA/865/68-PE/03 Alastair Dawson, Cristina Gómez and William Ritchie Aberdeen Institute for Coastal Science and Management (AICSM) e-mail: aicsm@abdn.ac.uk University of Aberdeen October 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Scope of requirement 3 1.2 Geomorphological Processes 3 2. METHODS 6 3. RESULTS 3.1 Lionaclete coastal area 7 3.2 North Gualan and North Channel 9 3.3 Central Gualan Breach 12 3.4 Southern Gualan and South Channel 15 4. DISCUSSION 18 5. FURTHER READING 22 1 GUALAN ISLAND SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT, SOUTH FORD, OUTER HEBRIDES Alastair Dawson, Cristina Gómez and William Ritchie Aberdeen Institute for Coastal Science and Management (AICSM) University of Aberdeen 1. INTRODUCTION As described in the first Gualan report, the future evolution of the South Ford area, between Benbecula and South Uist, will to a large extent be influenced by what happens to the barrier island of Gualan. Gualan Island is a remnant strip of sand and a vulnerable barrier island which, in the future, could disappear as a result of the effects of predicted climate changes and open-up the west side of South Ford to the full range of Atlantic wave action. The aim of this research project is to add new information on the evolution of Gualan Island to supplement the information earlier gained through the analysis of aerial photographs and Lidar data for the period between 1984 -2005. This new information derives from the analysis of earlier aerial photographs of the area covering the period between 1946 -1984. These older sets of aerial photography have the potential to inform us of how this area has evolved since the end of World War II. This information thus has the potential to provide new insights regarding the long-term evolution of this barrier island system. Much of the core information on the dynamics of geomorphological change at Gualan were provided in the first Gualan report and are not repeated here. In this account the discussion is restricted to new information arising from the analysis of the older sets of aerial photography. In a few limited cases where some of the discussion contained within the first report informs the present discussion, this information is repeated. Much of the discussion of the changes across Gualan is also related to changes that have taken place over time along the Lionaclete coastline. There have also been important changes in the shape and position of the North Channel that separates Lionaclete and Gualan Island. In the text, all three areas are mentioned since change in one area is nearly always associated with changes in the other two areas. As in the previous report, it is unwise to assume that specific measurements of coastal change have a high level of accuracy. Aerial photographs and maps have intrinsic limitations within certain variance parameters. These are not included in this 2 report since the scale of change in specific coastal areas is sufficiently large to ensure that the interpretation of the evidence is relatively secure and fit-for-purpose. 1.1. Scope of Requirement A single scope of requirement is considered here: Arising from previous research on coastal evolution in Scotland by the Aberdeen research team, changes at Gualan are assessed through an analysis of the older sets of aerial photography (1946-1965). This information, in turn, is used to reevaluate the nature of the landscape changes that took place between 1984 and 2005. Digitised data from topographic maps were also used to aid interpretation. 1.2. Geomorphological Processes For more than 5-6,000 years, Gualan and the South Ford area have evolved into its present position as a late stage in the generally accepted model of machair development. Gualan Island is the last vestige of an extensive, low-lying machair landscape that once occupied most of the west side of the present South Ford intertidal strand. Sea level rise and flooding (probably from the east) has left Gualan as the remnant dune ridge of an ancient machair system. Small isolated fragments of machair remain in the South Ford basin as well as extensive areas of inter-tidal peat. These are particularly well-developed on the Borve and Lionaclete foreshore areas. They show that along the Atlantic margin several thousand years ago, a dune ridge must have laid several hundred metres west of the present-day Gualan Island. Coastal processes, sea level rise and sediment deficiency, have led to a progressive shoreline retreat. At the same time flooding and erosion have removed the low unprotected machair as a result of sea encroachment from the Minch to the east. This process of shoreline retreat has continued up to present and is almost certain to continue in the future. 3 Plate 1 View, looking north, from north end of Gualan across the North Channel towards Lionaclete. Note the recurved gravel spit in the foreground, believed to have been produced during the Great Storm of January 2005. The pattern of longshore drift of sand dictates that the net direction of drift along the Atlantic beach systems and in shallow water offshore is northwards with local variations produced by the sheltering effect of headlands to south and north of the South Ford embayment. Uneven subtidal features such as rock reefs also affect this pattern of longshore drift. The movement of shingle is quantitatively different from the sand beaches. Movement of shingle mostly occurs during high tides and especially during storms. Beach shingle occurs discontinuously along the length of the coastline. Some spreads are relatively low, flat and superficial, others are represented as backshore storm ridges while other deposits underlie, occur within, and rest on top of the coastal sand dunes and machair. Washover across coastal dune and machair areas occurs during storms that are coincident with high tides (for example during the January 2005 storm). During quiescent periods between major storms, coastal dune ridges such as Gualan may accrete and rebuild. Nevertheless, the areas in the dune system that were subject to washover in an earlier storm, remain as vulnerable parts of the barrier island and are susceptible to future washover events. The photograph images contained in this report illustrate the washover events that occurred in the storm of 2005 as well as their effects on the coastline. 4 Examination of the aerial photographs used in this report also indicate that washover events have occurred historically during numerous winters and should therefore be regarded as normal, rather than exceptional processes. Washover of sand and shingle is normally a unidirectional transfer of sediment to the lee side of the dune ridge. In the Gualan area, washover also takes place in conjunction with tidal changes. For example, in the South Ford basin these processes have resulted in the production of characteristic flat lobes or fans of sediment located in the lee of Gualan Island. Over a timescale of years, the processes of washover have added to the volume of sediment that occupies the wide inter-tidal strand between Gualan, Benbecula and South Uist. This has, in turn, affected inter-tidal drainage patterns. During winter storms, washover events have breached across sections of Gualan Island. If such events continue in the future, breaches may develop that ultimately fragment the barrier island into one or several segments. To date this has not happened at Gaulan since incipient breaches have been quickly re-sealed by post-storm longshore drift as well as by aeolian deposition. In 2010 it was clear that since 2005 some washover areas remain vulnerable to overtopping and to possible breaching during future storm events. Plate 2 View, looking north, along the middle section of Gualan Island. Note in the foreground that the coastal barrier has no vegetation cover and is lower than surrounding areas of the coastal barrier. This is an area that has recently been overtopped by storm waves and is likely also to be overtopped in the future. 5 The combination of these complex patterns of tidal flow with the South Ford causeway has been described in both the JBA numerical modelling report and in the first South Ford report on recent coastal change. In this report, we describe patterns of coastal change that have taken place in the Gualan area between AD 1946 and present. This report therefore adds new information to the earlier report that focused on the measurement of coastal change between AD 1984 and 2006. The longer timescale considered here thus provides valuable information on the nature and scale of coastal changes that took place during a 38-year time interval starting at the time of the first air photo survey by the RAF in AD 1946 and ending with the air photo imagery that was flown in AD 1984 at approximately the same time as the construction of the South Ford causeway. 2. METHODS For analysis of longer term changes that have occurred over the last 200 years, historical maps dated 1805, 1878, and 1965 provide valuable sources of information. These maps were scanned for the earlier report and relevant elements for analysis, such as MHWM (Mean High Water Mark) digitized. Comparison of the planimetric location of the MHWM at different dates allowed interpretation of changes and processes for the Gualan Island area. In this report we make use of various sets of historical aerial photography (Table 1.1) which were found in TARA (The Aerial Reconnaissance Archive) in Edinburgh. Digital copies of this photography were obtained from the archive and visually interpreted and compared with recent photography. Table 1.1 shows a list and some details of the photography used. These photo images of ‘older’ Gualan landscapes are discussed in this report. Owing to the relatively poor quality of some of the aerial photographs, the imagery cannot be subject to a rigorous quantitative analysis. Instead, the photographs have an intrinsic value in providing supplementary sources of information to enable checking of the validity of other map and photographic measurements. 6 Table 1.1 List of historical aerial photography used in this report. Source: TARA (The Aerial Reconnaissance Archive). Photo code Date Scale CPE_UK_0189_1376 10/10/1946 1:10000 CPE_UK_0189_3390 10/10/1946 1:10000 CPE_UK_0189_3391 10/10/1946 1:10000 CPE_UK_0191_4051 10/10/1946 1:10000 CPE_UK_0191_4053 10/10/1946 1:10000 OS_63_062_035 24/05/1962 1:27000 OS_63_146_018 01/07/1963 1:27000 OS_65_072_001 01/05/1965 1:5000 OS_65_072_074 01/05/1965 1:5000 OS_65_090_067 13/05/1965 1:5000 In this report we present a series of maps each of which illustrate patterns of landscape change across the Gualan – Lionaclete area since 1946. GIS software has been used to display the air photo images at the same scale and with approximately the same size. Each image is framed by the same latitude and longitude coordinates with each oriented to grid North. These procedures enable direct comparisons between the images and thus make it possible to draw inferences on patterns of coastal change and relate these to the 1984 and 2006 imagery described in the earlier report. These older images are described below. 2. RESULTS 3.1. Lionaclete coastal area The 1878 Ordnance Survey map serves as a useful reference to understand the patterns of coastal change that have taken place in the Gualan –Lionaclete area over the last century (Figure 3.1). This map also provides a valuable context in which to understand patterns of coastal change that have taken place between 1946 -1984. Remarkable changes in the position and shape of Gualan over the last ca. 130 years are evident. For example, the northern end of Gualan was, during 1878, located nearly 500 m south of its present position. Given the more southerly position of the Lionaclete coastline at this time, one can envisage a 200-250 m wide tidal strait (the North Channel) through which Minch and Atlantic waters were exchanged. Not only 7 was the northern end of the barrier island located much further south but the Atlantic shoreface of the island was located ca. 100 m west of its present position (Figure 3.1). Figure 3.1 Coastline change during last 200 years. Coastline positions drawn from the aerial photography flown in 1946 and from the Ordnance Survey map for 1965 are also plotted on Figure 3.1. The position of the HWM lines for this period shows that continued erosion along the northern flank of the North Channel had taken place between 1878 and 1965. It is inferred, therefore, that during this time, the position of this channel was located where the most northern spit occurs at present. In Figure 3.2 visual comparison of the Lionaclete area at four dates during the last century points to an increase in the rate of coastal erosion between 1984-2006. Fields of crops first evident in the 1946 image, appear to have been eventually abandoned (Figure 3.2). For example, several fields are clearly shown due west of the drainage ditch in the 1946 and 1965 photography. The fields appear to have been abandoned by 1984. By 2006 about only half of the original coastal landscape remains. These changes also appear to have been accompanied by a progressive northward displacement of the North Channel (eg. compare the channel positions for 1946 and 2006). 8 Figure 3.2. Coastline reconstruction at the Lionaclete area. The blue line marks the position of MHWM in 2006. Note the field areas of crops shown in 1946 and 1965 that appear later to have been abandoned, in some areas mantled by blown sand. 3.2. North Gualan The north end of Gualan Island has experienced a change in its shape and extension between 1946 and 1965 (Figure 3.3). For example, the Atlantic shoreface has been progressively eroded, has been subject to retreat and has undergone realignment. All of these processes have led to coastal retreat and shoreface re-deposition of sediment (see section on geomorphological processes). The photography shows clearly that the 9 rate of shoreline change has increased during the period 1984-2006. It is quite clear that although coastal change continued to take place between 1946 and 1965, such changes were small by comparison with those that took place after 1984. Plate 3 View of same area described in Plate 2 but from seaward to landward. The part of the coastal barrier that is topographically lower also has a surface cover of seaweed, demonstrating recent overtopping by waves. Comparison of the 1946 and 1962 photography shows that the coastal retreat on the Atlantic shore of the northern section of Gualan island has triggered a noticeable reduction of its width (highlighted with the green and pink lines in Figure 3.3). This width decrease led to an apparent change in shape, towards a more elongated form. The 1962 and 1963 images show little alteration, but a clear change is evident in the 1965 imagery where a new spit appears to have formed at the northern end and to have been of sufficient size to have led to a displacement in the course of the North channel. One might even argue that by 1984, this spit had been partially truncated only to have experienced renewed growth by 2006. 10 Figure 3.3. Evolution of the coast in the north Gualan area from 1946 to 2004. Symbols are described in the text. 11 It should be noted that all changes at the "gap" between Gualan and Benbecula are caused by a complex and variable interplay of two main coastal processes- wave driven longshore sediment drift and tide driven ebb and flood water movements between the Atlantic and the South Ford tidal basin. This is also compounded by tidal flows to and from the Minch and to a lesser extent the variable amounts of fresh water added to the basin from controlled drainage from South Uist and Benbecula. These processes are controlled by changing gradients between water levels within and outwith the South Ford basin and also by the pattern of inter-tidal drainage channels in South Ford, including an effective "watershed" that appears to lie, not surprisingly, along the line of the old track across the sands. The velocities of inwards and outwards flows at the north end of Gualan can be very powerful and are affected by the changing cross sectional area of the "gap". Although Figure 3.3 depicts changes to High Water Mark, it is also useful to look at changes in the inter tidal morphology and Low Water Mark as a reminder that for most of the tidal cycle a range of dynamical geomorphological changes are taking place. 3.3. Central Gualan Breach Visual inspection of the central area of Gualan Island suggests the existence of some areas where Atlantic storms have crossed the barrier island prior to the severe event of January 2005. In the 1946 photography, the north-south trending coastal dune edge appears to be characterised by continuous sections of vegetation (marram) separated by occasional areas of bare sand (Figure 3.4). In marked contrast, the 1962 photograph shows the majority of the central coastal strip covered by bare sand. Most of the areas of vegetation visible in the 1946 photographs have disappeared. This area of sand cover is shown in Figure 3.4 as a linear stretch of terrain between location A in the north and the prominent area of marram-covered dune shown as B in the south of the area (Figure 3.4). In the succeeding photographs one and three years later (1963 and 1965) this strip of sand has disappeared and is replaced by a near-continuous cover of coastal vegetation. We therefore infer that a major episode of storminess affected the Central Gualan area, most probably during the winter of 1961-62. By 1984 this area exhibits a near-continuous vegetation cover but is later completely covered by sand and gravel by 2005. It should also be noted that area B appears to have experienced its greatest erosion sometime between 1984 and 2006. We infer 12 here that coastal erosion of this particular area is most likely to have taken place during the 2005 storm. Finally, it should be noted that the strip of marram-clad coastal dune shown as A in the 2006 image is also represented in part in the 1946 image suggesting that position of the MHWM in this area has not changed greatly over this time interval. The area in the yellow circle (Figure 3.4) appears with a more extensive aerial cover of sand in 1962 than at any other date. Apart from local significance, this rocky area, shown within the yellow circle, provides valuable fix-points for the photographs and serves as an aid in comparison between the different photo images. 13 Figure 3.4 Central breached area of Gualan Island. Letters and symbols are described in the text. 14 3.4. Southern Gualan and South Channel In the southern part of Gualan Island there have been remarkable coastal changes over the time period between 1946 and 1984. These include a marked reduction in width of the channel since 1946 (Figure 3.5, A), together with a displacement of the most southern part of the spit (Figure 3.5, C). The southern area of marran-covered dunes was separated from an area of salt marsh (validated in the field) by an area of bare sand until 1984 (shown as a pink line on the 1963 photo in Figure 3.5). This line is replotted on the 2006 photo. The position of the Atlantic coast line (green line in Figure 3.5) appears to indicate quite clearly that there has been a net shoreface recession in this area between 1963 and 2006. Area B in Figure 3.5 shows a sporadic sand coverage of the vegetated southern area. Plate 4 View, looking northwards, along the Gualan coastal barrier showing recent seaward erosion of the coastal dunes. 15 Over the last ca. 60 years there has also been a marked reduction in the size of the tidal channel that separates the southern end of Gualan from the north coast of South Uist. The channel is clearly marked in the 1946 image and it is a very clear feature in the 1962 image. It is also evident in the 1963 photo although here the green line (showing the extent of coastal dune cover in 1962) shows that also in this area there has been a limited amount of coastal progradation between 1962 and 1963. The channel is also a clear feature in the 1965 photograph (area A) but it is a narrower and shallower feature in 1984. Shallow sand bars are also visible within the channel on the 1984 photograph. It is perhaps also worth noting that the route of this channel changes between 1965 and 1984. Whereas in the 1965 image, the part of the channel seaward of Gualan Island changes direction from NW-SE to N-S, this pattern is not evident in the 1984 image where the route of the channel trends almost continuously between NW-SE along its entire length. It is not immediately clear why this should be, although it is reasonable to infer that this change may be related to a long-term build up of sediment in this area. It seems that after the 2005 storm, this southern area was more affected than in previous events, with wave overtopping having affected the eastern side more than in 1962 (yellow arrows in 1962 and blue arrows in 2006; Figure 3.5). 16 Figure 3.5. Southern Gualan and South Channel. Letters and symbols are described in the text. 17 4. DISCUSSION A key difficulty encountered in the first Gualan report was how to interpret the coastal changes that took place between 1984 and 2006. The simplest explanation was to consider that the patterns and rates of change in the Gualan coastal landscape took place progressively and uniformly over the 22-year time interval between the two dates. The difficulty with this interpretation is the knowledge that the Great Storm of January 2005 was associated with major and relatively rapid changes in the coastal landscape. The decision to commission new airborne imagery several months after the storm had as its objective the need to make new maps of the coastal landscapes of South Uist and Benbecula. It was never possible, however, to be sure just how much of the observed coastal changes were attributable to the January 2005 storm. The use of aerial photography dating back to 1946 allows this question to be answered in part since, by inspecting the patterns of coastal change that took place between 1946 and 1984, it enables one to make an assessment of whether or not the changes that took place over this time interval are greater or less than those that occurred between 1984 and 2006. Plate 5 View, looking north, along the Gualan coastal dune ridge. Note the low relief that characterises the ridge as well as the broad low areas of vegetated sand that occur to the rear. The low relief of this area is an indication of the vulnerability of this area to erosion, overtopping and breaching by storm waves. 18 In the earlier report the 5 major changes listed below were identified and based on a comparison of the 1984 and 2005 DTMs. Summaries of the observed changes that have taken place between 1946 and 1984 are also provided below. • Since 1984 the seaward edge of Gualan appears to have retreated to the east with the greatest amount of retreat in the north and decreasing from north to south. The 1946-1984 data appear to indicate that shoreface retreat during this period was much less than between 1984-2006. This is particularly evident on comparison of the 1946, 1965 and 1984 imagery. • Sediment accretion (build up) has taken place in two areas since 1984. The first of these has been at the extreme northern end of the island where a gravel, sand and boulder spit (that did not exist in 1984) presently extends to the NE towards the edge of the North Channel. To the south, the spit is attached to high (5-10 m) vegetated dunes that comprise a complex area of undulating marram-dune topography that also includes evidence of discrete stages of growth. With one exception the older photograph shows no evidence of spit formation at the northern end of Gualan. The exception is the 1965 photograph where a clearly-developed elongate and S-N trending spit is visible at the northern end of Gualan. This feature is approximately half the size of the comparable feature shown on the 2006 imagery. • A second zone of accretion has taken place between 1984 and 2006 at the extreme south of the barrier island. This zone consists of two distinct topographic areas. To the rear of the southern end of Gualan, there is an area of sand accretion that effectively blocks the movement of tidal waters between Gualan and the northern coastline of South Uist. The second area of accretion consists of the sand dunes themselves, these having accreted vertically since 1984 forming a stable barrier of vegetated sand. The 1946-1984 photographs show a clearly-defined channel separating Gualan from South Uist. This channel is particularly clear in the oldest photography but there are indications on the 1984 photograph of this channel having started to become narrower. This is a significant observation since it demonstrates that there is no simple 19 cause-effect relationship between the construction of the causeway and the near-closure of this channel. • In the extreme north of the area, complex changes have taken place between 1984 and 2006 with areas of extensive erosion having occurred adjacent to areas of substantial accretion. The most extreme sediment loss has been on the Benbecula side of the North Channel adjacent to Lionaclete. However, the photography from 1946 to 1984 also shows major changes having taken place, for example loss of land along the Lionaclete coastline, as well as major changes in the position of the North Channel. Here also, these observed changes are significant since they took place before the causeway was built. • Many observations have drawn attention to the scale of wave overtopping during the January 2005 storm that led to the near-breaching of Gualan at several locations. This analysis has shown that similar event/s may have taken place prior to the flying of the 1962 photographs during May of that year. The 1962 photography shows the disappearance of a coastal dune vegetation cover over long sections of the Atlantic coastal edge and its replacement by a nearcontinuous strip of sand (and presumably also gravel and shingle). The next oldest photography is for 1946. Hence, all that can be concluded based on the photographic data is that a major storm/s took place sometime during this time interval. The time series of daily air pressure for Stornoway provides additional information (Figure 3.6). This analysis of differences in daily air pressure (dp(24)abs) (Hanna pers. comm.) points to 1962 as an exceptionally stormy period and is consistent with the photographic evidence. Whatever the precise cause of the extensive sand cover across Gualan in the 1962 photograph, this information points to the former occurrence of major storms in addition to the 2005 event sufficient to cause major changes in the landscape of Gualan Island. Other even older major storms have already been described for AD 1921 and AD 1869 (Dawson et al. 2007). These observations have additional significance since they demonstrate that the January 2005 storm has not been the only major destructive storm during the last ca. 130 years to have led to severe damage and significant change to the Gualan Island barrier system. 20 Figure 3.6 Annual pressure variability, Stornoway, 1921-2003. Higher values (mb) indicate periods of increased winter storminess (courtesy of Hanna, unpublished data) Possibly, in the future, the remnant barrier island of Gualan will ultimately disappear to produce an open strait between the Atlantic and the Minch. This future tidal strait will probably be similar in many respects to the ‘gaps’ between Barra and South Uist and between Berneray and Harris, but with a transverse barrier in the form of a causeway. Over the short term, however, Gualan will alter its shape and position in response to changes in wave dynamics, longshore drift, tides, and sea level changes. A deficiency in the availability of nearshore sediment will continue to be the most important controlling and irreversible factor. Aeolian (wind) processes will continue to build coastal dunes along the Atlantic margin but these areas are likely to reduce in size and extent given a diminishing source of sediment supply offshore. 21 5. FURTHER READING: Dawson, A.G. and Dawson, S. (2005) Western Isles Coastal Zone Assessment Survey, Benbecula and South Uist, Commissioned Report for EASE Archaeology and Historic Scotland, 125 pp. Dawson A.G., Dawson, S and W Ritchie (2007) Historical Climatology and coastal change associated with the 'Great Storm' of January 2005, South Uist and Benbecula, Scottish Outer Hebrides, Scottish Geographical Journal, 123, 2, 135 – 149. Dawson, A.G., Ritchie, W.A., Green, D., Wright, R., Gomez, C. and A Taylor (2008) Assessment of the rates and causes of change in Scotland’s beaches and dunes – Phase 2, Commissioned Report for Scottish Natural Heritage, Account No. SM002 RGC1479. DEFRA report and data: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/pubs/pagn/climatechangeupdate.pdf Gómez, C., Taylor,A., Green,D., Ritchie,W., Dawson,A., and R.Wright (2008) Terrain 3D modelling for the assessment of coastal change in beach and dune systems in Scotland. SOC Bulletin, n.42. Jonsson, T. And E Hanna 2007 A new day to day pressure variability index as a proxy of Icelandic storminess and complement to the North Atlantic Oscillation Index, 1823-2005, Meteorologische Zeitschrift, 16, 1, 25-36. Hanna, E.,Cappelen, J., Allan, R., Jonsson, T., Le Blancq, F., Lillington, T. And K.R. Hickey 2008 new insights into North European and North Atlantic surface pressure variability, storminess and related climate change since 1830, American Meteorological Society, 21, 6739-66. Lowe, J.A. et al. (2009) UK Climate Projections science report: marine and coastal projections. Met. Office Hadley Centre, Exeter, UK, ISBN 978-1-906360-03-0. Maune, D.F. (2006) Digital elevation model technologies and applications: The DEM users manual, 2nd edition Note: all maps used within this report were printed under licenses held by the University of Aberdeen for research purposes. 22