Shore platforms on the Kaikoura Peninsula have been examined to determine the roles of marine and subaerial weathering processes in platform evolution. Erosion was measured to assess rates of development and processes of erosion. Lowering rates on platforms are presented from two years of monitoring using a traversing micro-erosion meter. Cliff retreats were calculated using aerial photographic interpretation. Marine processes were investigated by using deep water wave data, by measuring waves on shore platforms and by analysing measured tidal data. Weathering processes were investigated using tidal data, climate data, the Schmidt Hammer test, and a laboratory experiment on wetting and drying.Lowering rates over two years ranged from 0.07 to 19.80mm, and annual rates ranged from 0.154 to 9.194mm/yr. Rates of erosion varied with lithology and the type of platform.Erosion on Type A mudstone platforms was 1.98mm/yr; on Type B mudstone platforms erosion was 0.733mm/yr; and on limestone platforms it was 0.88mm/yr. The grand mean lowering rate for all shore platforms was 1. 13mm/yr . These rates fall in the middle of the range of published rates from previous studies at Kaikoura and at locations around the world. For the fITst time, erosion data from a traversing micro-erosion meter were presented as volumes of material eroded.The total volume of rock eroded from study sites having, each with an area of 45.4cm 2 , ranged from 1.20 to 92.50cm 3 • A significant finding was that rock surfaces swell up as indicated by a rise in surface level rather than lowering from erosion. The maximum measured swelling was 8.90mm. At some measurement sites as much as 90 per cent of measurements showed swelling over a period of 98 days. Values for erosion and swelling were higher during summer months.Both erosion and swelling were shown to be statistically related to season, suggesting that weathering is the group of processes causing both erosion and swelling. Summer provides better conditions for wetting and drying, which is thought to be the most important weathering process on shore platforms. Horizontal retreat rates were calculated over 52 years for cliffs, beaches and lagoon deposits backing shore platforms at Kaikoura, these ranged from 0.05 to 0.91mJyr.Investigation of marine processes showed that the deep water wave environment off the Kaikoura Peninsula is very energetic, but the amount of wave energy delivered to platforms is very low. A comparison of deep water wave energy flux with wave energy flux at the landward cliff of platforms, showed that there was a reduction by as much as five orders of magnitude. An analysis of the role of breaking waves revealed that these were ineffective as an erosional agent ii because the depth of water offshore causes breaking well before waves arrive on platform surfaces. Shear stresses and dynamic forces under waves were calculated from waves measured on shore platforms. TIus showed that these forces never exceeded the compressive strength the platform rocks at Kaikoura. It was co...

Shore platforms on the Kaikoura Peninsula have been examined to determine the roles of marine and subaerial weathering processes in platform evolution. Erosion was measured to assess rates of development and processes of erosion. Lowering rates on platforms are presented from two years of monitoring using a traversing micro-erosion meter. Cliff retreats were calculated using aerial photographic interpretation. Marine processes were investigated by using deep water wave data, by measuring waves on shore platforms and by analysing measured tidal data. Weathering processes were investigated using tidal data, climate data, the Schmidt Hammer test, and a laboratory experiment on wetting and drying.Lowering rates over two years ranged from 0.07 to 19.80mm, and annual rates ranged from 0.154 to 9.194mm/yr. Rates of erosion varied with lithology and the type of platform.Erosion on Type A mudstone platforms was 1.98mm/yr; on Type B mudstone platforms erosion was 0.733mm/yr; and on limestone platforms it was 0.88mm/yr. The grand mean lowering rate for all shore platforms was 1. 13mm/yr . These rates fall in the middle of the range of published rates from previous studies at Kaikoura and at locations around the world. For the fITst time, erosion data from a traversing micro-erosion meter were presented as volumes of material eroded.The total volume of rock eroded from study sites having, each with an area of 45.4cm 2 , ranged from 1.20 to 92.50cm 3 • A significant finding was that rock surfaces swell up as indicated by a rise in surface level rather than lowering from erosion. The maximum measured swelling was 8.90mm. At some measurement sites as much as 90 per cent of measurements showed swelling over a period of 98 days. Values for erosion and swelling were higher during summer months.Both erosion and swelling were shown to be statistically related to season, suggesting that weathering is the group of processes causing both erosion and swelling. Summer provides better conditions for wetting and drying, which is thought to be the most important weathering process on shore platforms. Horizontal retreat rates were calculated over 52 years for cliffs, beaches and lagoon deposits backing shore platforms at Kaikoura, these ranged from 0.05 to 0.91mJyr.Investigation of marine processes showed that the deep water wave environment off the Kaikoura Peninsula is very energetic, but the amount of wave energy delivered to platforms is very low. A comparison of deep water wave energy flux with wave energy flux at the landward cliff of platforms, showed that there was a reduction by as much as five orders of magnitude. An analysis of the role of breaking waves revealed that these were ineffective as an erosional agent ii because the depth of water offshore causes breaking well before waves arrive on platform surfaces. Shear stresses and dynamic forces under waves were calculated from waves measured on shore platforms. TIus showed that these forces never exceeded the compressive strength the platform rocks at Kaikoura. It was co...

Extreme wave events in coastal zones are principal drivers of geomorphic change. Evidence of boulder entrainment and erosional impact during storms is increasing. However, there is currently poor time coupling between pre-and post-storm measurements of coastal boulder deposits. Importantly there are no data reporting shore platform erosion, boulder entrainment and/or boulder transport during storm events -rock coast dynamics during storm events are currently unexplored. Here, we use high-resolution (daily) field data to measure and characterize coastal boulder transport before, during and after the extreme Northeast Atlantic extra-tropical cyclone Johanna in March 2008. Forty-eight limestone fine-medium boulders (n = 46) and coarse cobbles (n = 2) were tracked daily over a 0.1 km 2 intertidal area during this multi-day storm. Boulders were repeatedly entrained, transported and deposited, and in some cases broken down (n = 1) or quarried (n = 3), during the most intense days of the storm. Eighty-one percent (n = 39) of boulders were located at both the start and end of the storm. Of these, 92% were entrained where entrainment patterns were closely aligned to wave parameters. These data firmly demonstrate rock coasts are dynamic and vulnerable under storm conditions. No statistically significant relationship was found between boulder size (mass) and net transport distance. Graphical analyses suggest that boulder size limits the maximum longshore transport distance but that for the majority of boulders lying under this threshold, other factors influence transport distance. Paired analysis of 20 similar sized and shaped boulders in different morphogenic zones demonstrates that geomorphological control affects entrainment and transport distance -where net transport distances were up to 39 times less where geomorphological control was greatest. These results have important implications for understanding and for accurately measuring and modelling boulder entrainment and transport. Coastal managers require these data for assessing erosion risk.

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A traversing micro-erosion meter was used to measure rock surface micro-topography over 40 cm 2 on a supra-tidal cliff face from early morning to late evening in late spring. From 06:00 hours to 22:00 hours the relative heights of 188 coordinates were obtained using the meter at 2-hour intervals, resulting in a data set of 1607 readings. Monitoring shows that rock surfaces are dynamic entities, with significant rise and fall relative to the first measurement at shorter timescales than previously reported. The maximum positive rise between readings was 0·261 mm and lowering was 0·126 mm. The pattern of change did not relate as expected to environmental variables such as temperature or insolation. Rather, the surface showed greater surface change in the early morning and late afternoon. It is hypothesized that this pattern relates to the expansion and contraction of lichen thalli as moisture is absorbed during higher humidity in the morning and late afternoon. The implications of these results for weathering studies are considered.