Definition
Hard or soft engineered structures, or combinations of these, designed to form effective coastal defense solutions.
Introduction
Coastal defenses are measures taken to protect coastlines from erosion and other damage or to prevent flooding caused by the combined effect of sea waves, extreme tides, and storm surge. They are designed to work by controlling wave action, coastal currents, and sediment movement on beaches. Each coastal defense method has its own advantages and disadvantages, which should be carefully studied and weighed before adopting one into a given site (Horikawa 1978).
Types of Coastal Defenses
There are two main types of coastal defenses: hard engineered structures and soft engineering solutions (Coastal Engineering Manual 2008). Often, hard structures are combined with soft engineering solutions to form effective coastal defense schemes. Hard structures can be seawalls, offshore breakwaters, and groynes. Most hard structures are constructed of concrete or...
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References
Coastal Engineering Manual (2008) Available online at: http://www.publications.usace.army.mil/USACE-Publications/Engineer-Manuals/?udt_43544_param_page=4
Horikawa K (1978) Coastal engineering. University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo
Kamphuis JW (2002) Introduction to coastal engineering and management. World Scientific, Singapore
Reeve DE, Karunarathna H (2017) Beach replenishment. Earth science series. In: Encyclopedia of engineering geology
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Karunarathna, H., Reeve, D.E. (2018). Coast Defenses. 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_301
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73568-9_301
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