1st Place Winner, SEDAAG 2016Time and Tide Wait for No Man* Graham A. Tobin Hiking along the World Heritage Site of the Jurassic Coastline on the south coast of England, one encounters the breathtaking beauty of a coastal landscape that presents a never-ending battle between land and sea. To the geographer, of course, the photograph on the cover conjures up even more, particularly as we ponder the scientific splendor of the geomorphological features fashioned by present-day erosional and depositional processes that continue to modify the past. And let's not forget the transformation of the landscape, both subtle and substantial, generated by human activities over many millennia. These features are here for all to see and contemplate (Cochrane, 2007). The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site extends 150 kilometers from Studland Bay in Dorset to Exmouth in Devon, passing through 185 million years of Earth's history. Indeed, it is easy to imagine "walking through time" (Jurassic Coast 2017) from the Triassic, through the Jurassic, and into the Cretaceous periods. It was in Lyme Regis, a small town located along this shoreline, that Mary Anning discovered an almost complete plesiosaur fossil in 1823. Her discovery established the area as an attraction for today's residents, tourists, and scientists who tramp the coastal paths and beaches, explore local villages, search the rocks for fossils, and cherish the mystical beauty of a treasured landscape and seascape. The photograph captures the geographer's attention, then, not just because of the natural beauty, but also because one can identify the many coastal features and virtually experience the dynamic physical forces evident at the land/sea interface. As one's eyes slowly pan across the scene, new topographies seemingly reveal themselves, raising questions about erosion and deposition that speak to global climate change and sea level rise–sections of trail along the cliffs have already disappeared into the sea. Indeed, it is this constant interplay between the eustatic and isostatic readjustments that is displayed along the Jurassic Coast. In addition, geological characteristics, the faulting and folding of tectonic activity, have assisted greatly in producing this vibrant environment, demonstrating both the extreme power of erosional forces and the relative quiescence of depositional processes. The waves, emanating from the [End Page 327] Atlantic Ocean and stirred up by the English Channel, are refracted around headlands to exploit geological weaknesses, thus carving out soaring cliffs, sculpting sea arches and caves, leaving remnants as sea stacks rising out of the water–perhaps to survive the onslaught of storms for a few more years. Also visible are wave-cut platforms and sea notches, islets and skerries, along with bayhead beaches and sand bars, dunes and small lagoons that continue to captivate the observer. We should not overlook the human forces that have contributed to the "Making of the English Landscape" (Hoskins1955). For centuries, the people of southern England exploited the coastline for its resources as well as for defense. Today there are other priorities, namely tourism and the British penchant for rambling. The fence lines and footpaths, extending into the distance, show erosion from heavy use, and if you look closely you will see traces of fences on the cliff edges–evidence of a receding coastline constantly under attack from rising sea levels. Perhaps, too, the picture harkens back to the old geographies, an all-inclusive perspective reminiscent of the nineteenth century works of Alexander von Humboldt (See Wulf, 2016), and George Perkins Marsh (1869), who recognized the importance of understanding how nature and humans interact with the environment. One thing is certain, the Jurassic Coast will evolve, the dynamic interaction of land and sea forces will persist, and humans will endure and modify the rigors of their environment. Time and tide will wait for no human. Graham A. Tobin University of South Florida references cited Chaucer, G. 1395. The Clerk's Tale Here follows the Prologue of the Clerk of Oxford's Tale. Translated and Edited by Gerard NeCastro © Copyright, 2007, All Rights Reserved. Geoffrey. eChaucer: http://www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/chaucer. Cochrane, J. 2007. Tourism, partnership and a bunch of old fossils: Management for tourism at the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. Journal of...
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Mar 20, 2024
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