Synonyms
Beach nourishment
Definition
The process of adding sediments to a beach in order to replace material that has been removed by the continuing physical action of waves and tides over a period of years.
What Is Beach Replenishment?
Beach replenishment is the placement of beach material, usually sand, on a beach in order to increase the beach volume (Dean 2002; Kamphuis 2010; Reeve et al. 2011). It is used as a component of flood defense to absorb/dissipate incoming wave energy or in coastal protection schemes to counter long-term erosion. Current practice is to use material of color, size distribution and type as close to the natural local material as possible. In many open coast situations, beach replenishment forms part of a larger flood defense or coastal protection scheme that includes hard structures such as groins (Coastal Engineering Manual 2008).
When Is Beach Replenishment Carried out?
Many of the world’s beaches are now actively managed, which will often include...
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Coastal Engineering Manual (2008) Available online at: http://www.publications.usace.army.mil/USACE-Publications/Engineer-Manuals/?udt_43544_param_page=4
Dean RG (2002) Beach nourishment: theory & practice, advanced series on ocean engineering, vol 18. World Scientific, Singapore
Kamphuis JW (2010) Introduction to coastal engineering and management, advanced serieson ocean engineering, vol 16, 2nd edn. World Scientific, Singapore
Reeve DE, Chadwick AJ, Fleming CA (2011) Coastal engineering: processes, theory and design practice, 2nd edn. Spon Press, London/New York
Sand Engine web site.: http://www.dezandmotor.nl/en/the-sand-motor/introduction/
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Reeve, D.E., Karunarathna, H. (2018). Beach Replenishment. In: Bobrowsky, P.T., Marker, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73568-9_26
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73568-9_26
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