Aberdeen City Council has issued an urgent safety warning to the public to avoid sections of the city’s coastline following severe erosion at the Donmouth Local Nature Reserve.
The warning comes as the area experiences dangerous surface material instability that poses significant risks to public safety. A statement from the local authority reads: “People are asked to avoid the north and south shore of the Donmouth Local Nature Reserve as several areas are experiencing severe erosion.”
The erosion affects both the north and south shores of the Donmouth Local Nature Reserve, a popular 27-hectare nature site where the River Don meets the North Sea in the Bridge of Don area. Aberdeen City Council confirmed there is “a risk of surface material giving way” at the site, prompting immediate restrictions on public access.
Beach erosion is the natural wearing away and removal of sand, sediment, and rock from a beach by the force of the sea and waves, leading to a loss of land and a shifting coastline.
Factors like strong winds, long fetch – distance wind blows over water – and the type of coastal geology influence the rate of erosion, with softer, more easily eroded rocks leading to faster erosion rates.
This latest erosion event reflects a broader pattern of accelerating coastal change across Scotland. The Dynamic Coast project, Scotland’s national coastal assessment, reveals that average erosion rates have doubled since the 1970s to 1.0 metres per year, with the proportion of Scotland’s coast experiencing erosion increasing by 39%. The research shows these changes are “consistent with climate change expectations”.
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Aberdeen and its surrounding coastline are particularly vulnerable to these effects. The stretch from Blackdog to the Bridge of Don – an area that includes the affected Donmouth site – has been identified as experiencing “the highest level of sustained erosion” in the Aberdeenshire region. Coastal change modelling predicts “hundreds of metres of coastline regression” in this area by 2100.
Scotland’s latest climate projections indicate sea levels around Aberdeen could rise by 0.3 to 0.7 metres by 2100, depending on emission scenarios, with higher background water levels meaning “destructive storm surges push further inland than they once did”. Marine Scotland data shows coastal erosion rates have doubled nationally since the 1970s, with 84% of Scotland’s soft shorelines anticipated to be eroding by 2100 under high emissions scenarios.
The timing of the erosion warning is particularly concerning given Aberdeen’s £50 million beachfront redevelopment programme, the largest such project in 35 years, which aims to create “a transformational waterfront destination”. The project includes new play facilities, events areas, and coastal defences designed to protect against future erosion and flooding.
