Watermill Cove
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SV925121 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 0.46 | 2023-01-13 |
Climate exposure
This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.
Coastal habitats are exposed to sea-level rise and storm erosion. Where hard sea defences sit behind them, there's nowhere landward to retreat to — a squeeze that keeps compressing the habitat no matter how well it's managed.
Geology & landscape
Geological Feature: Raised Beach · Geological Period: Quaternary
Landscape processes: Coastal
Description
Description Exposures of Quaternary sediments in the cliffs at Watermill Cove comprise, from the base upwards, a succession of raised beach deposits, head deposits, organic silts and sands and a second layer of head deposits. This sequence shows changes in the climates and environments of the Quaternary ranging from storm beaches deposited during the Ipswichian Interglacial through to the tundra climates of the Late Devensian. In particular, the site is noted for the extensive and well developed organic deposits found within the head deposits. Analysis of the microscopic remains of plants and pollen within these organic deposits has yielded Late Devensian radio-carbon dates of around 30,000 years before present. The pollen within the organic layer is indicative of arctic tundra conditions providing insight into the palaeoclimate at this time. These dates provide an important time constraint on the rate of environmental change in the south west of England during this period. Watermill Cove is particularly important for the lithostratigraphic and chronostratigraphic evidence which the sediments represent and the sequence from this site is used widely in comparison with others on the Isles of Scilly.