This month Year 10 Geography students visited Long Rock to investigate their physical fieldwork hypothesis: “Do the benefits of the Penzance coastal defences outweigh the costs?”.

Students looked at the rock armour and the revetment along the coastal path and completed an environmental quality survey, considering the appearance, cost and effectiveness of the management strategy when evaluating its effectiveness at reducing coastal erosion and flooding. Students also completed numerous wave counts to determine whether the waves approaching the coastline were constructive or destructive; enabling them to decide whether the coastal defences were needed or not. Finally, students also mapped the surrounding land use to determine whether significant infrastructure in the local area would be at risk of flooding without the coastal defences.

This data, supported with secondary data, will be presented and analysed by students back in school allowing them to evaluate the costs and benefits of the coastal management schemes in Penzance.