Seeing the sea from Leeds.

Bunkers, shelters and other buildings
User avatar
Leodian
Posts: 6478
Joined: Thu 10 Jun, 2010 8:03 am

Seeing the sea from Leeds.

Post by Leodian »

In a brief article headed 'Leeds needs to reach for the skies' on page 6 of the Yorkshire Evening Post today (Feb 25 2017) it states "The city does have tall buildings but to put it truly on the map, it needs a skyscraper big enough so the people at the top can see the sea". That makes me wonder how tall such a building would need to be. I probably should be able to work it out but perhaps more mathematically-minded people than me can provide at least a reasonable answer.

An old Secret Leeds thread titled 'What is the furthest point North visible from Leeds, and where from?' is somewhat related http://secretleeds.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... 9&start=30
A rainbow is a ribbon that Nature puts on when she washes her hair.

User avatar
buffaloskinner
Posts: 1435
Joined: Sun 01 Apr, 2007 6:02 pm
Location: Nova Scotia

Re: Seeing the sea from Leeds.

Post by buffaloskinner »

With rising sea levels due to global warming, in a few hundred years or so and it will probably be outside your front door
Is this the end of the story ...or the beginning of a legend?

User avatar
Brunel
Posts: 1174
Joined: Thu 20 Mar, 2008 12:34 pm

Re: Seeing the sea from Leeds.

Post by Brunel »

You don't need maths in theory, just a height profile. It is approx 100K due east or west to the coast. If the height above sea level is known along that direct straight line, then a building with a height that is higher, plus a very good telescope should suffice.

All well and good in theory BUT this does not take into account the curvature of the Earth, this makes it a lot harder to calculate.

I cheated and looked it up. To see 100Kms you would need to look from a height of ....1000 mtrs. 1Km. ( all as near as sod 'n dammit)

User avatar
Leodian
Posts: 6478
Joined: Thu 10 Jun, 2010 8:03 am

Re: Seeing the sea from Leeds.

Post by Leodian »

Cheers buffalsoskinner and Brunel.

Your "With rising sea levels due to global warming, in a few hundred years or so and it will probably be outside your front door" made me :) buffaloskinner.

Thanks for your help Brunel. At about 1,000m (1 km) or so it would make Bridgewater Place seem tiny! Heaven knows though what wind tunnel effects it would have ;).
A rainbow is a ribbon that Nature puts on when she washes her hair.

jonleeds
Posts: 717
Joined: Thu 31 Jan, 2008 4:59 pm

Re: Seeing the sea from Leeds.

Post by jonleeds »

I;ve heard you can see the North Sea from the top of Emley Moor mast which I can quite believe. Also the curvature of the earth isnt so great as to obscure the coastline from a mere 60-70 miles away. I've often heard it said that certain high points in Yorkshire / England are the highest points above sea level until you reach the Ural mountain heading east... An often quoted line seemingly used by unscrupulous landlords / estate agents to somehow glamourise the 30th storey flat of Cottingley Heights as being vertically superior somehow..
Have your fun when you're alive - you won't get nothing when you die... have a good time all the time! - Chumbawumba!

And no matter how things end, you should always keep in touch with your friends - Dave Gedge

warringtonrhino
Posts: 477
Joined: Sat 18 Feb, 2012 2:31 pm

Re: Seeing the sea from Leeds.

Post by warringtonrhino »

I have just done a CAD model of the problem and concluded that looking west over the 300m pennines you would need to be 911,027 meters above the high point at Headingley
and 896,546 meters above the same point to see the sea looking east over the E Yorkshire Wolds
I have not allowed for low cloud :D

User avatar
tilly
Posts: 2209
Joined: Mon 11 Jan, 2010 2:32 pm

Re: Seeing the sea from Leeds.

Post by tilly »

From the playing fields at Fulneck School you can see beyond Drax Power Station on a clear day. I would have thought it would not have needed a massively high building to see the sea from this spot i cant think of any high ground beyond Drax looking towards Hull or am i way out in my thinking.?
No matter were i end my days im an Hunslet lad with Hunslet ways.

warringtonrhino
Posts: 477
Joined: Sat 18 Feb, 2012 2:31 pm

Re: Seeing the sea from Leeds.

Post by warringtonrhino »

Fulneck playing fields are 150metres above sea level. Drax is approx 30 miles from Fulneck, and the bottom of the towers are 4 meters above sea level,you can only see the top half of them. Drax is 50 miles from the coast at Spurn Point. Beyond Drax are the South Wolds which are 60 meters high with a gap at Hull, The gap restricts the view beyond to the Spurn Point area of the coast. Through that gap you would ,if high enough see the wind farm on the coast at Easington. which is 20meters above sea level. In my opinion you would need to be 900,000 metres above the ground at Fulneck to see the North Sea.

jma
Posts: 499
Joined: Fri 05 Aug, 2016 3:38 pm

Re: Seeing the sea from Leeds.

Post by jma »

I've never been up the Emley Moor mast but there's sometimes a cracking view to the East from the bottom. I say "sometimes" because there's often so much haze from motorway traffic emissions that the view is blocked. It's only a good view when it's been really windy. Perhaps you'd see over all that from a viewpoint 10 miles or whatever above Fulneck.

This problem seems to be growing. A couple of years ago we went to see one of our sons working at the other side of Bristol. We stayed in a hotel which had previously been a mansion built by some Victorian industrialist on a hill with what must have once been a beautiful view across the Bristol Channel. When we were there, it was blocked by the haze over the M5.

User avatar
tilly
Posts: 2209
Joined: Mon 11 Jan, 2010 2:32 pm

Re: Seeing the sea from Leeds.

Post by tilly »

Hi warringtonrhino i bow to your knowledge 900.000 metres seems a long way up.
No matter were i end my days im an Hunslet lad with Hunslet ways.

Post Reply