No abstract

Abstract. Much of the low‐lying farmland around the coastline of south‐east England was once inter‐tidal salt marsh, which was subsequently reclaimed from the sea and converted to farmland. It is becoming increasingly uneconomic to maintain the embankments which protect this land from the sea. ‘Managed retreat’ involves relocating the embankments further inland and recreating inter‐tidal habitat in front of them. Salt marsh not only provides a protective buffer for these sea walls by dissipating wave energy, but is also important as a habitat for birds and as a source of organic matter for fish and inter‐tidal fauna. When ‘managed retreat’ takes place, the creation of inter‐tidal habitat occurs on soils that have undergone physical and chemical changes, some of which are irreversible. However, the indications are that rapid sedimentation creates conditions in which salt marsh plants germinate and become established; soil salinity rises quickly to a level which restricts competition from terrestrial plants, and deposited sediment is relatively rich in available phosphorus. The physical properties of the old agricultural soil influence the subsequent development of creeks.

Much of the low-lying farmland around the coastline of south-east England was once inter-tidal salt marsh, which was subsequently reclaimed from the sea and converted to farmland. It is becoming increasingly uneconomic to maintain the embankments which protect this land from the sea.Managed retreat' involves relocating the embankments further inland and recreating inter-tidal habitat in front of them. Salt marsh not only provides a protective buffer for these sea walls by dissipating wave energy, but is also important as a habitat for birds and as a source of organic matter for ®sh and inter-tidal fauna.When`managed retreat' takes place, the creation of inter-tidal habitat occurs on soils that have undergone physical and chemical changes, some of which are irreversible. However, the indications are that rapid sedimentation creates conditions in which salt marsh plants germinate and become established; soil salinity rises quickly to a level which restricts competition from terrestrial plants, and deposited sediment is relatively rich in available phosphorus. The physical properties of the old agricultural soil in¯uence the subsequent development of creeks.Soils and`managed retreat' in south east England

Abstract. High rates of erosion are reported from three sites on brickearth (loess) soils in east Kent. Problems are acute where soils are used for intensive production of vegetables and salad crops. Erosion appears to be the result of structural instability, lack of crop cover for much of the year, and certain managment practices, such as ridging the soil for the crop. In the autumn of 1984, about 120 tonnes of soil was lost from rills in a field of onions: an erosion rate of about 15 t ha−1. A large field under winter cereals also eroded and this resulted in damage to property. Conservation techniques are recommended.