Some of the issues raised by Dornbusch (2008) in discussion of Phillips (2007) are worthy of response. As with all academic papers, authors make judgements that underpin the focus and overall length of the contribution. It was not deemed appropriate, in this particular study, to present an in-depth description of the methodology, as confirmed by the referees.
The Ordnance Survey (OS) digital plan did not show every groyne, despite all being constructed at the same time (circa 1980) and a global positioning system being used to confirm that beach area grid coordinates matched those of the OS plan. Subsequently missing groynes were located via traditional surveying techniques (Wilson, 1974), which included using a Sokkisha 20-second electronic theodolite and steel-tape traverse. For groyned beach areas, as recommended by Simm (1996), lines were established on either side of the groynes, as well as in the centre of the...
