Coastal monitoring at Skara Brae

My article on 3D and 4D monitoring of the sea defences at Skara Brae has been posted on the main HES blog! Check it out here.

 

 

3D and 4D Digital Monitoring of Sea Defences at Skara Brae

A while ago, I was asked by the Climate Change team at Historic Environment Scotland to write a short article on the work we did at Skara Brae this April, to be featured in the HES Climate Change blog. The blog is a great resource on various topics relating to the effects of climate change on the historic environment.

The article explained how laser scanning is being used to monitor the condition of the protective sea wall that has defended the Neolithic village for more than 80 years. In light of growing concern for the effects of climate change on coastal heritage, our work on the site is of particular importance in ensuring the long-term survival of Orcadian heritage.

The blog article was also a good opportunity for me to produce images from the database, which is still being processed. For more details on our work at Skara Brae, please read the article here.

Plan view of the point cloud showing the Bay of Skaill. The outline of the Neolithic village is marked on the plan and the wall highlighted with brighter colours

General view of the point cloud at Skara Brae from the NE, showing the protective sea wall and sand dunes to either side of it. The Neolithic village is visible at the top right part of the image.

View of the point cloud from the NE, coloured by elevation: blue for the lowest points and white for the highest.

Point cloud image from the NE end of the sea wall, looking along the beach towards the West.