Fieldwork: North Ferriby, Melton

As part of the characterisation studies of coastal waste deposits, Alex and Will, from University of Hull, have been visiting a contaminated site on the banks of the Humber for some socially-distanced fieldwork. Once the location of a former tin refining company, the site is now occupied by vast deposits of metal-rich wastes, which are at risk of tidal erosion. The extent of contamination originating from the waste is being investigated by collecting samples of the waste itself, the waters draining from the site, and the estuarine muds along the Humber foreshore to identify “chemical fingerprints”. Performing such studies allows better understanding of the mobility of contaminants eroding from legacy waste deposits, and will help to better quantify the risks of coastal industrial landfills nationwide. As climate change threatens to increase the extent of coastal erosion, a greater number of industrial landfills are at risk of erosion and potential environmental damage. The picture (right) shows recently-eroded smelter slag (black material) entering the Humber intertidal zone.

Last modified: Mon, 07 Dec 2020 10:10:05 GMT