Porlock Ridge and Saltmarsh

Infobox SSSI


name=Porlock Ridge and Saltmarsh
aos=Somerset
interest=Biological
gridref=gbmappingsmall|SS880479
area=186.3 hectare (460.4 acre)
notifydate=1990

http://www.natureonthemap.org.uk/map.aspx?
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Porlock Ridge and Saltmarsh (gbmapping|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. [cite web | title=Porlock Ridge and Saltmarsh | work=English Nature | url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/2000380.pdf | accessdate=2006-08-19]

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. [cite web | title=Porlock Ridge and Saltmarsh | work=English Nature | url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/2000380.pdf | accessdate=2006-08-19]

Biological

A large part of this site is lower saltmarsh dominated by common 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. [cite web | title=Porlock Ridge and Saltmarsh | work=English Nature | url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/2000380.pdf | accessdate=2006-08-19]

References