COASTAL DEFENSE

Coastal Defense or Coastal Management is a safety measure for the protection of the coast from the
action of wind, wave and tide.

The reason for coastal defense is to protect homes and businesses from being damaged and even
destroyed by coastal erosion or flooding. Failure to do so can have severe economic and social effects,
especially along coastlines which are used for tourism and industry. Also, it protects the natural habitat.

TYPES OF COASTAL DEFENSE

Hard Engineering Techniques Soft Engineering Techniques

1. Seawalls 1. Beach nourishment

2. Groynes 2. Land management

3. Gabions 3. Marshland creation

4. Revetments 4. Beach stabilization

5. Riprap

6. Breakwaters

7. Tidal barriers

HARD ENGINEERING TECHNIQUES

1.Sea walls

They are giant walls that span entire coastlines and attempt to reduce erosion and prevent flooding in
the process. They are very expensive requiring constant maintenance so that they don’t fail. They also
produce a strong backwash in waves which undercuts the sea wall making their long term sustainability
questionable.

Types:

Vertical seawalls

Just like the name implies, vertical sea walls are essentially a vertical wall built to keep the high
energy of the waves from eroding the shorelines. These sea walls are best for areas that have lots of
larger waves for long periods of time. While they prevent the shoreline from being eroded, these sea
walls take a beating from the continued waves and may need regular maintenance and repairs.

Advantages Disadvantages
Most easy to design Not efficient in long term
and construct Prone to expensive damage

Curved concrete wall

It mirrors the shape of a wave as it moves towards land. The sweeping design dissipates the
impact of the wave by deflecting it upwards, away from the bottom of the structure. These walls are
usually made from poured concrete and are designed to reduce scour-the removal of sediment from
around a structure, which weakens it, at the base of the wall.

Advantages Disadvantages
Prevent overtopping More complex design

Low reflected waves Can scour material at the base

Reduced turbulence
 Mound Sea Walls

Usually built from mounds of sandbags, rocks or dirt, these mound sea walls will protect a
shoreline in times of emergency or can be rebuilt for more permanent structures.

Advantages Disadvantages
Slope and loose material ensure Less durable

maximum dissipation of wave energy Cannot withstand or protect from

Lower cost option high energy conditions effectively

2.Groynes

They are low lying wooden walls that extend out to sea. The idea of groynes is to capture sand that
moves down the beach via longshore drift and help build up a larger section of beach in front of an area
that is experiencing coastal erosion.

Types:

Attracting Groyne

The angle of inclination of such groynes is in the range of 30 to 60 degrees. In an attracting groyne, the
main attack of stream is on the upstream side and hence needs more protection as compared to the
downstream side.

Repelling Groyne

The angle of inclination of such groynes is in the range of 60 to 80 degrees. On the upstream of the
repelling groyne, a still pocket is formed, where the sediments carried by the water get deposited.

Deflecting Groyne

A groyne perpendicular to the bank or pointing slightly u/s and of relatively shorter length tend to
deflect the flow with repelling it and hence is termed as Deflecting Groyne. A deflecting groyne gives
only local protection.

Sedimenting Groyne

A groyne which dampens the velocity of flow and thus causes the deposition of sediments carried by the
flow without repelling or deflecting. These types of groynes are generally considered suitable for rivers
which carry considerable amount of sediments in suspension.

3.Gabions

They are quite simply bundles of rocks in a metal mesh. They are placed at the base of a cliff in an
attempt to reduce the impact of waves on the cliff and prevent the cliff from being undercut. They are
not particularly effective and they’re quite unsightly but they are sure as hell cheap.

Types:

Gabion baskets

It is a net wire mesh that produced in box-shaped and in different sizes. Used in highway and coast
works. It would be economical unless filling materials are not available from quarries near the project
site.

Gabion mattresses
Gabion mattresses height is shorter than the other types. It is employed in the channel coating for
preventing erosion. So, it tackles wave and erosion induced velocity. Common size is 6 m long by 2 m
wide by 0.3 m high

Gabion sacks

This type of gabions is formed quickly. It has a porous and flexible structure. Gabion sacks are usually
used in hydraulic works in emergency conditions.

4.Revetments

Revetments are concrete (or in some cases wooden) structures that are built along the base of a cliff.
They’re slanted and act as a barrier against waves not too dissimilar to a sea wall. The revetments
absorb the energy of the waves, preventing the cliffs from being eroded. Revetments can be modified so
that they have rippled surfaces, which further help to dissipate the wave energy. Revetments are
normally successful at reducing coastal erosion but they are expensive to build. Once built however,
they don’t require as much maintenance as a sea wall.

5.Riprap

Riprap are just rocks and stones that have been put against the base of a cliff. They are similar to
gabions in their purpose but they aren’t bound together in a mesh. This makes them look slightly more
appealing as they blend into the environment better however the rocks are susceptible to being moved
by the sea.

6.Breakwaters

Breakwaters are offshore concrete walls that break incoming waves out at sea so that their erosive
power is reduced when they reach the coast. Breakwaters are effective but they can be easily destroyed
during a storm.

Types:

Detached Breakwater

Breakwaters without any constructed connection or away to the shore. They are designed to promote
beach deposition on their leeside. Appropriate in areas of large sediment transport.

Submerged Breakwater

It is a kind of offshore structure, with its top at or below sea water and is usually constructed parallel to
the shoreline in shallow water. The function of this structure is to protect the showered area of the
breakwater from the severe wave actions by way of attenuating the incoming waves.

Attached Breakwater

They are constructed in an “Attached” fashion to the shoreline & angled in the direction of predominant
waves.

7.Tidal Barriers

They are big, retractible walls built across estuaries that can be used as a floodgate to prevent storm
surges. They are hugely effective but they’re also hugely expensive.
SOFT ENGINEERING TECHNIQUES

1.Beach nourishment

This is where sands are added to the beach in order to make it wider. This increases the distance a wave
has to travel to reach the cliffs and so the wave will lose more energy and have less erosive power when
it reaches the cliffs. The sand has to be obtained from elsewhere and is normally obtained from
dredging.

2.Land management

It is often used to help protect and rebuild dunes. Sand dunes act as a good barrier against coastal
flooding and erosion and they can be exploited as a natural defence against the sea. In order to do so
though, the dunes must be left relatively undisturbed so boardwalks are constructed and sections of
sand dune systems are marked as out of bounds to the general public in order to reduce the erosion of
the dunes by humans.

3.Marshland creation

It can be used to break up the waves and reduce their speed, reducing the waves erosive power. The
marshlands also limit the area which waves can reach preventing flooding. The marshlands can be
created by encouraging the growth of marshland vegetation such as glassworts.

4.Beach stabilisation

The goal of beach stabilisation is the same as beach nourishment’s goal, to widen the beach and
dissipate as much wave energy as possible before it reaches the cliffs. Beach stabilisation involves
planting dead trees in the sand to stabilise it and lower the profile of the beach while widening the
beach too.