Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/D005744/1
Landslide assessment and flood erosion risk from the North Yorkshire Floods (19 June 2005)
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Professor D Donoghue, Durham University, Geography
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor J Warburton, Durham University, Geography
- Grant held at:
- Durham University, Geography
- Science Area:
- Terrestrial
- Freshwater
- Overall Classification:
- Terrestrial
- ENRIs:
- Natural Resource Management
- Global Change
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Science Topics:
- Earth Surface Processes
- Sediment/Sedimentary Processes
- Hydrological Processes
- Geohazards
- Abstract:
- The recent well-publicised floods in North Yorkshire (19 June 2005) have again focussed attention on the devastating impact of flash floods in the UK. This adds to a catalogue of recent events including catastrophic hillslope failures in Western Ireland and Shetland in September 2003; the Boscastle disaster in August 2004; devastating landslips and debris flows in Central Scotland in August 2004; and an unprecedented number of shallow landslides in Northern Cumbria in January 2005. The North Yorkshire floods were considered so severe that they prompted an emergency debate in Parliament (29.06.05) with MPs demanding 'We must learn the lessons from events like this'. The area most severely affected was the upper river Rye in the North York Moors National Park (150 km2) where there was widespread valley floor flooding and multiple landslides, which added to the flood devastation. Our preliminary survey has identified over 100 landslide scars in this area and possibly the largest peat landslide in England. Patterns of erosion, and the debris carried by the flood are important in determining the impact of a flood. Erosion results in loss of valuable farmland, loss of farm animals and destruction of buildings. Flood debris blocks bridges and fills homes with sediment. This project will investigate how landslides feed into rivers and cause downstream erosion and deposition. We will calculate exactly how much soil slides off the hillslopes using measurements made from aerial photographs of the landslide scars and from information collected using a special sensor mounted on an aircraft which precisely measures the height of the ground. Our aerial photographs will also be used to map the extent of valley flooding and this will be compared with predictions made by the Environment Agency as to where they think flooding will occur. We think large landslides slipping directly into the river will cause higher flood levels downstream and greater erosion and sedimentation problems. It is important that this work is done quickly because evidence of erosion and deposition from flood events is only short-lived and is rapidly hidden by natural erosion and vegetation growth in the first few months following a flood. Hence when events of this kind occur again the results of this work will allow their impacts to be assessed more rapidly and accurately. Once this information is collected and analysed we will be able to improve the accuracy of our flood risk maps and decide which parts of the landscape are most vulnerable to slope failure.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/D005744/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Small Grants Pre FEC
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Urgency
This grant award has a total value of £25,096
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - T&S | Total - Staff | Total - Other Costs | Total - Indirect Costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| £3,118 | £13,552 | £2,193 | £6,234 |
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