A beach in northeast Scotland is rapidly eroding because of it climate changeleaving town at risk of flooding.
The Dynamic Coast report in 2021 studied the rate of erosion at Montrose and predicted that 120 meters would be lost in 40 years, an average of 3 meters per year.
People in Montrose fear the start of storm season in the fall, as last year’s storms caused the beach to erode by 7 meters in a year, more than 4 meters more than scientists had predicted.
Worry about the future
A report on behalf of Montrose Golf Links by the EnviroCentre in December revealed that historically observed average rates of land subsidence are between 2.8-7.0 meters per year and that “observed trends in coastal erosion are expected to continue or actually accelerate as a result of climate change in the future”, according to him curator.
Long history of corrosion
Scotland experienced unprecedented storms last season and this spring recorded the country’s wettest April since 1947.
In November last year, Montrose’s promenade collapsed during high tide after Storm Babet, leaving a gaping hole.
During this storm alone the beach was eroded by 3 meters.
A month later in December, gale-force winds of 86 mph were recorded at the nearby Inverbervie weather station during Storm Gerrit.
Montrose has a history of coastal erosion that can be measured through the loss of golf courses, established more than 460 years ago. The sea has advanced 70 meters in the last 30 years.
Studies by Angus Council and Dynamic Coast have shown that urgent maintenance is necessary for the receding dunes in Montrose Bay, or they risk opening corridors that will bring floods into the buildings of the city.
The EnviroCentre report also revealed that by 2100 some 170 meters could be lost to erosion and flooding south of Montrose.