Jeremy Pile

Environment Agency Ipswich

Typhoon Durian in November 2006 was most notable for a series of devastating lahars that buried communities at the base of Mayon volcano in Bicol, Philippines. Typhoon Durian delivered extreme rainfall that remobilized volcanic debris that caused more than ~1200 deaths and extensive property damage. Although not as deadly as the lahar, Typhoon Duri...

Southeast Asian coastal environments are undergoing massive transformations with unprecedented population and infrastructure development. These transformations are occurring on a backdrop of intense natural and anthropogenic environmental change, which are increasing the risk to the burgeoning coastal population. Little is known about how central V...

The barrier islands that fringe the western shore of the Outer Hebrides are globally unusual in that they are developed on a planated bedrock (strandflat) surface. They also contain the most extensive area of machair (a distinctive vegetated sandy plain) in the British Isles. This paper presents the first investigation of the internal structure and...

The spatial variability of Holocene relative sea level (RSL) in the South China Sea is unknown, with data restricted to Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, and a few other isolated sites. In this study, we present new continuous RSL records for Borneo using surveyed and U–Th dated coral microatolls from four sites in western Sarawak. The record spans 45...

Destructive coastal hazards, including tsunami inundation and storm surges, periodically affect many of the world's coasts. To quantify the risk of such events and to identify premium levels for such hazards, the insurance industry commonly uses the available scientific literature, coupled with probabilistic modelling. Often, communicating the resu...

The Philippine archipelago lies in the path of seasonal tropical cyclones, and much of the coast is prone to periodic inundation due to storm surges. One example is typhoon Durian, a category 3 storm that made landfall on the 30th November 2006, in Bicol province, on the east central Philippine coast. Satellite imagery from May 2007 reveal that Dur...

The existence of extreme waves, as observed by seafarers, has been confirmed by data recording and modeling to be more common than previously assumed. Extreme waves mainly occur during major storms at sea by means of constructive interference of wave trains or by nonlinear wave interaction, but extreme waves may also be associated with tsunami or m...

Coastal overwash deposits from tsunamis and storms have been identified and characterised from many coastal environments. To date, these investigations have utilised ad-hoc time, energy and cost intensive invasive techniques, such as, pits and trenches or taking core samples. Here, we present the application of high-frequency ground penetrating rad...

Powerful typhoons frequently affect eastern Taiwan. On Dabaisha beach on the SW coast of Ludao Island, a small volcanic island lying SE off mainland Taiwan, the presence of numerous beachrock slabs provides evidence of the sediment transport capabilities of high-energy waves generated by these storms. With a well-defined beachrock source from which...

The existence of extreme waves, as observed by seafarers, has been confirmed by data recording and modelling to be more common than previously assumed. Extreme waves mainly occur during major storms at sea by means of constructive interference of wave trains or by non-linear wave interaction but extreme waves may also be associated with tsunami or...

This chapter describes and reviews the main techniques that are currently used by sea-level scientists to obtain the grain size distribution of sediment samples. The uses and limitations of each technique are presented along with a commentary on popular methods to present and interpret grain size data in the context of studying sea level.

The smuggling of contraband and high-duty items is a problem faced by governments across the globe. In Singapore, a common method of smuggling small contraband items (e.g. cigarettes, drugs, weapons) is to hide them in consignments of fresh fish packed in ice. Inspection of suspect vessels is a time and labour intensive process. Inspections can als...

The realisation of climate change and its potential impacts on coastal environments and coastal communities has prompted much activity in the realm of ‘adaptation’. Adaptation is typically viewed as actions in response to climate change that seek to limit its impacts and/or bring some benefit to human society. In this paper we consider adaptation a...

Eastern Taiwan is frequently impacted by powerful typhoons that track close by or make direct landfall. On a beach in the SW of Ludao Island, a small volcanic island lying 35 km SE off mainland Taiwan (22.67°N 121.48°E), the presence of abundant beachrock slabs provides evidence of the sediment transport capabilities of high-energy waves generated...

Typhoon Hagupit was one of six tropical cyclones that affected Hong Kong in 2008. When the typhoon made landfall, the combined effect of the waves, storm surge and seasonal high tides resulted in a maximum sea level of 3.53 m at the nearest tide gauge to the study site, the highest since 1962. The event caused considerable damage to coastal infrast...

Chesil Beach (Dorset) is one of the most famous coastal landforms on the British coast. The gravel beach is over 18 km long and is separated for much of its length from land by a tidal lagoon known as The Fleet. The beach links the Isle of Portland in the east to the mainland in the west. Despite its iconic status there is little available informat...

The thesis is concerned with the rates of erosion and sedimentation along the Suffolk Coast. It includes a short outline of the historical coastal change that has occurred along the Suffolk Coast, including the erosion of Dunwich. The geology of the Suffolk Coast is described, as is its influence on the geomorphology of the cliffs and beaches of th...

The Suffolk Coast is one of the most dynamic coastlines of the UK. Since 1992, as part of a regional programme initiated by the Environment Agency Anglian Region (formerly NRA), shoreline profiles have been monitored biannually at 68 points along the coast at 1km intervals. Long-term rates of erosion are derived from OS maps using historic high/low...

The report focuses on the types of earth science disciplines and data that can be used in defining the coastal zone. Management plans are briefly touched upon and the role of geology and geomorphology in the shaping of the coastline is considered. Methods of investigation (e.g. geophysics and boreholes) are also outlined. Types of landslide and lan...