Porlock Ridge and Saltmarsh

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Porlock Ridge and Saltmarsh (grid reference SS880479) is a 186.3 hectare (460.4 acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset, notified in 1990.

This site is notified for its nationally important active coastal geomorphological features. It is also nationally important for the saltmarsh and coastal vegetated shingle habitats which occur here.^[1]

[edit] Geomorphological

This site comprises a shingle ridge and associated saltmarsh hinterland extending for a distance of approximately 4 kilometres along the west Somerset coast, immediately north of Porlock village. The type of geomorphological development seen at Porlock has been noted for coastal shingle systems elsewhere (e.g. west coast of Newfoundland, Canada). Although other UK systems probably developed and are developing in a similar manner, Porlock provides the only fully documented example of a nationally important coastal geomorphological system which has undergone catastrophic failure and subsequent evolution following sediment inhibition.^[2]

[edit] Biological

A large part of this site is lower saltmarsh dominated by glasswort (Salicornia europaea andannual) and sea-blite (Suaeda maritima). Also found here is the nationally scarce Babington’s leek Allium ampeloprasum ssp babingtonii. The site is visited regularly by grey heron (Ardea cinerea), little egret (Egretta garzetta) and shelduck (Tadorna tadorna). Small winter flocks of lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), curlew (Numenius arquata), and Common Teal Anas crecca occur on the site as a whole. The site is also visited by a very wide range of migratory species.^[3]

[edit] References