Welcome
Welcome to the website for the Anglian Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme
The programme began in 1987 and was the first regional-scale programme in UK. Its aims have been to provide essential coastal data to inform tidal flood and coastal erosion risk management decisions between the Humber and Thames estuaries, which includes the low-lying and potentially vulnerable Anglian coastal frontage.
Please use the top menu to access regional specific data.
Programme Background
The Anglian Coastal Monitoring programme (ACMP), formerly known as the Anglian "Sea Defence Management Study", was initiated in 1987 and when it started was the first coastal monitoring programme to be operated on a region-wide scale in the UK.
The ACMP has evolved to include a range of data types (see the table below) following a risk-based approach to determining the type, frequency and intensity of coastal monitoring, to best serve our partners - the Risk Management Authorities (RMAs). The programme remains adaptable to meet their changing priorities and the frontages under their charge, i.e. responding to storm, surge, or landslide events.
Our topographic beach profiles, walked systematically since 1991, now yield a 30-year dataset for many strategic transects. The longevity of this record affords a dependable overview of the patterns and variance of geomorphological change. These data have proven invaluable on numerous flood and erosion risk management projects from high-level, strategic planning, to coastal and estuarine process studies, optioneering of engineering works, pre- and post-construction monitoring, and scheme performance evaluation.
Like England’s other regional programmes, ACMP is funded in 6-year phases by the Environment Agency’s FCERM Grant in Aid. The ACMP is in the tenth phase of monitoring (see table below), whereafter another bid for funding shall be submitted in order to maintain the collection and provision of data to our partners.
Table 1 History of the Anglian Coastal Monitoring Programme
| Phase | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
|
I II III |
"Sea Defence Management Study" initiated. Collation of existing data & information. Specialist studies to fill gaps in knowledge. Introduction and development of a GIS. |
1987 - 1991 |
| IV |
Initial five-year period of monitoring Walked topographic survey data available. |
1991 - 1996 |
| V | Further five-year period of monitoring Government publishes guidance on producing Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs). |
1991 - 1996 |
| VI | Further five-year period of monitoring First generation SMPs adopted. |
1996 - 2001 |
| VI | Further five-year period of monitoring LiDAR data available. Hydrographic data available. Wave buoys in place & data available. |
2001 - 2006 |
| VII | Further five-year period of monitoring. Establishment of the National Network or Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes in England. Second generation of Shoreline Management Plans published. Ortho-rectified aerial photography delivered digitally. |
2006 - 2011 |
| VIII | Further five-year period of monitoring Meteorological stations set up & data available. |
2011 - 2016 |
| IX | Further five-year period of monitoring Meteorological stations set up & data available. ACMP invests in ADCPs and trials use of Radar for coastal monitoring. |
2016 - 2021 |
| X |
Current 6-year period of monitoring. Objective review of risk-based survey regime completed using the 30-year dataset. Spatially continuous Drone (UAVs) surveys to bolster topographic dataset. ACMP to support Shoreline Management Plan Refresh. |
2021 - 2027 |
Survey Programme Schedule
The schedule of the ACMP surveys can be found here ACM Survey Plan (2021-2027) and is summarised below:
- Aerial photography is captured annually (in summer) for the entire Anglian coastline.
- LiDAR is collected annually (in winter) for priority locations and the full coastline is captured every other year.
- Walked topographic surveys capture the profile of the beach every summer and winter. During Baseline years, every transect (strategic and scheme) are surveyed. This happens at the beginning of each 6-year monitoring phase.
- Nearshore multibeam sonar bathymetry data is collected in the summer season. Locations are determined on a priority basis depending on the needs of our partners. Data is collected on EA survey vessels and processed by EA hydrographic surveyors.
- ACMP have 6 Directional WaveRider buoys, these are serviced annually by Frugro (under term contract). The data is collated, processed and presented by the Channel Coastal Observatory (CCO) in the form of annual wave reports. The real-time data can be viewed at https://coastalmonitoring.org/realtimedata/ or from the CEFAS WaveNet site.
- ACMP have 4 meteorological stations spread over the Anglian region. These are maintained and managed by the CCO. Met reports can be downloaded from https://coastalmonitoring.org/reports/
- As of Phase 10, ACMP have acquired two acoustic doppler current profilers (ADCP) to capture rates and directions of currents and turbidity.
- ACMP have recently expanded the range of monitoring methods to incorporate innovative survey techniques using drones and X-band radar for Phase 10.
Contact us
If you would like further information about the Anglian Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme, please use the contact details provided or use our contact form to directly message our team.
Mark Amies (Project Manager)
mark.amies@environment-agency.gov.uk
Francesca Evans (Coastal Processes Scientist)
francesca.evans@environment-agency.gov.uk
Shona Thomson (GIS Analyst & Data Manager)
shona.thomson@environment-agency.gov.uk
Katherine Bewsher (Project Support & Engagement Officer)
katherine.bewsher@environment-agency.gov.uk
Any enquiries or data requests please email:
acm@environment-agency.gov.uk
Direct Message
Message the Anglian Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme Directly
