Arch-Manche: Using Archaeological, Palaeoenvironmental, Historic and Artistic Resources in Coastal Management

Abstract

The coast of the English Channel (La Manche) and the Southern North Sea is a dynamic environment. Coastal erosion, increased storm frequency, flooding and instability are all providing challenges for managing risks associated with these threats. Understanding the long-term development of the coast is vital in order to understand how the present situation has arisen. Archaeological and palaeoenvironmental data from submerged and prehistoric landscapes along the coastlines and sub-tidal fringes of the European Continental Shelf represent previously under-used coastal indicators that can be applied as tools to inform long-term patterns of coastal change. The preservation of organic material and traces of flora and fauna within submerged and intertidal sites provide detailed evidence of the past environment including plants, animals and insects, the types of soils and crucially whether it was dry, damp or wet, saline or brackish. Recording changes to these environments demonstrates the impact of rising or falling sea levels and relationships with coastal adaptation. This chapter presents the results of the Arch-Manche project, which used archaeological, palaeoenvironmental, historical and artistic resources to advance understanding of the scale and rate of long-term coastal change.