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Using Artistic Imagery to Improve Understanding of Coastal Landscape Changes on the Rance Estuary (French Channel Coast)

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Abstract

Our coasts are subjected to constant changes due to both biophysical and anthropogenic processes, which have been severely increasing over the last two centuries. Long-term diachronic observations of geomorphological evolution should allow a better understanding of how and to what extent natural environments and cultural heritage sites have been affected over time. This paper describes the implementation of a pictures-based methodology, which provides an iconographic interpretation of decades-to-centuries coastal landscape evolution. The chosen location for the field studies is the Rance Estuary (France Channel coast), a 20-km-long ria, which has undergone specific changes because of the long-standing presence of industrial buildings such as shipyards and tide mills and the opening of the world’s first tidal power plant in the 1960s. In order to identify the entire range of alterations that have occurred on the estuarial geosystem over time, a large number of artistic representations of the shores (paintings, engravings and postcards) have been used. The vantage points of the different historical images have been located, and current photos have been taken trying to reproduce, as exactly as possible, the same view in order to allow the precise comparison of diachronic pairs of images. The results of its historical landscape record are disseminated through a dedicated website to which consultees, stakeholders and the public, more widely, may access and contribute by sending new pictures from the past. An interactive online map locates the study sites and allows access to the associated observations and comments, whilst interactive graphs give an overview of the changes that have been identified.

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Notes

  1. Indeed, whilst on one side Dinan, and on the other side Saint-Malo and Dinard, which were copiously represented from the eighteenth century, the river valley in between was largely ignored until the beginning of the 1900s. In a paper dealing with the ‘Images of the river Rance’, Delouche (1987) suggests a possible explanation, namely an administrative division unlikely to enhance the estuary as a landscape entity and a constraining geographical context because of restrictive terrestrial access and a rarity of visual escapes from the valley. Other reasons for a lack of interest in the landscape of the Rance valley itself could include its industrial, functional and rural space, without any prestige, and lacking any stronghold or other important historic monument. Landscapes of the Rance have not captured interest. At that time, artists were not attracted by coastal wetland (Goeldner-Gianella et al. 2011). They preferred sublime cliffs, charming sandy beaches or picturesque fishermen villages. These kinds of landscapes were more in keeping with the artistic vision of beauty at that time, and so more likely to be appreciated by middle-class visitors coming from Paris to enjoy the seaside. As a result, state or touristic guides, artists and lithographers in charge with representing symbolic locations of French territorial significance did not find any reason to erect their easels there.

  2. Roughly, dating can be calculated by measuring excess activity of 210Pb, (210Pbxs) in sediment samples. 210Pb is a 22.3 half-life isotope naturally present in the environment. When atmospheric particles drop down on the interface water/sediments, they introduce this 210Pb. The activity of this 210Pb in excess decreases with depth into sediment, according to both its radioactive period and the rate of sedimentation. The study of the curves of 210Pb allows to date and estimate the rate of sedimentation. Then, to date more precisely on the scale of the last century, estimations obtained thanks to 210Pb can be compared with those derived from 137CS, an artificial radio-isotopy whose middle life is 30 years and which has a pulsed input function linked with atmospheric fallouts of nuclear tests, with maximum fallouts in 1963, and, sometimes, a peak linked with 1986s’ Chernobyl accident. As these two radioelements are gamma transmitters, it is possible to measure it inside sediments from a same gamma count of dry sediments (Schmidt et al. 2014). MBq is short for the term megabecquerel. This unit from the International System (SI) is used to measure the releases from a radioactive nucleus. One MBq corresponds to 0.000001 becquerel.

  3. http://pnr-rance-emeraude.fr/fr/page/projet-parc

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LETG, UMR CNRS 6554, Geography Department, University of Rennes 2, Rennes, France

    Edwige Motte

  2. Coastal & Geotechnical Services, Isle of Wight, UK

    Robin McInnes

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  1. Edwige Motte
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  2. Robin McInnes
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Correspondence to Edwige Motte.

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Motte, E., McInnes, R. Using Artistic Imagery to Improve Understanding of Coastal Landscape Changes on the Rance Estuary (French Channel Coast). Geoheritage 11, 961–972 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-018-00341-2

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