The full programme book (PDF) - Royal Geographical Society

T6
Late Holocene sea-level change and saline intrusion, Humber Estuary
L.A. Best 1 *, K.A. Selby 1 , M. Morton 2
1 Environment Department, University of York
2 Yorkshire Water, Bradford
Changing sea-levels are a key concern around the globe due to both the direct and
indirect effects on coastal regions and resources. For the Yorkshire region this has
resulted in particular concerns over the preservation of potable and plentiful water
supplies. Groundwater is abstracted as a source of potable water from the chalk aquifer in
close proximity to the Humber Estuary. There is a complex relationship within, and
between, groundwater and estuarine coastal processes, and the risk of possible intrusions
of saline water into the groundwater source needs to be investigated. This requires a
consideration of both the sea-level history of the estuary, as well as the groundwater
characteristics of the surrounding region.
Existing sea-level data points for the estuary provide a record of change during the
Holocene, however there is a scarcity of data for the most recent ~2000 years (Long et al.,
1998; Metcalfe et al., 2000). This project aims to establish a high resolution sea-level
record for this late Holocene period in the Humber Estuary through litho- and biostratigraphical
analyses of multiple locations around the estuary. Microfossils, primarily
diatoms, will be used as the proxy data to reconstruct former relative sea-levels. This will
assist in furthering understanding of the Holocene evolution of the estuary, the
implications of saline intrusion into the chalk aquifer, and the consequences of possible
future changes. The data can be used in conjunction with groundwater models to inform
the decisions, policies and management strategies of the local water authority to
safeguard future water supplies for the region.
Keywords: palaeoenvironmental reconstruction; sea-level; microfossils; diatoms;
groundwater.
Long, A.J., Innes, J.B., Kirby, J.R., Lloyd, J.M., Rutherford, M.M., Shennan, I. & Tooley, M.J. (1998)
Holocene sea-level change and coastal evolution in the Humber Estuary, eastern England: an
assessment of rapid coastal change, The Holocene, 8, 2, 229-247.
Metcalfe, S.E., Ellis, S., Horton, B.P., Innes, J.B., McArthur, J., Mitlehner, A., Parkes, A., Pethick, J.S.,
Rees, J., Ridgway, J., Rutherford, M.M., Shennan, I. & Tooley, M.J. (2000) The Holocene evolution of
the Humber Estuary: reconstructing change in a dynamic environment, in Shennan, I. & Andrews, J.
(Eds.) Holocene Land-Ocean Interaction and Environmental Change around the North Sea, Geological
Society, London, Special Publications, 166, 97-118.