College of Engineering, Architecture and

Technology

Report No. 14

COASTAL DEFENSE

Submitted by:
Rico Fuentes Jr. BSCE-5

Submitted to:
Engr. Marjoric Penetrante

I. OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the discussion, the class should able to know the following:
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 COASTAL DEFENSE
 COASTAL DEFENSE CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
 FIVE GENERIC STRATEGIES ARE INVOLVED IN COASTAL
DEFENSE

II. OVERVIEW
Coastal Defense is the primary role for any structure and although it is not possible to
improve on nature, it is possible to alter the ecological outcomes of a structure to achieve
different ecological endpoints. Coastal defenses, especially multiple structure defense scheme,
represent one very often significant visual impact on the landscape. This is particularly true for
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emerging shore-parallel structures that tend to block the view from both land to sea and sea to
land. Coastal defense scheme has many kinds of consequences on the seafront and on its
residents. One of the example, on top of changing erosion patterns and flood risk, a breakwater
will change the appearance of the landscape, offer some recreational opportunities and modify
the local biodiversity.

III. DISCUSSION:
Coastal Defense is an application for examining how coastal habitats such as oyster
reefs, coral reefs, tidal marshes, mangroves, beach dunes, and seagrass help protect coastal areas
by reducing wave energy hitting the shore. Also coastal structures are frequently constructed to
prevent erosion of coastal landscapes and infrastructures (e.g. seawalls, break waters, groins,
etc.) and mitigate the risks to the populations and economic activities dependent on the coastal
zone.
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The term Coastal Zone is a region where interaction of the sea and land processes
occurs.
Coastal Management, in which the land-sea boundary is protected from flooding and
erosion, categorized as hard engineering and soft engineering.
Hard engineering methods
Hard engineering can be more expensive, and is sometimes less durable and be more
intrusive than soft engineering. Hard engineering can also cause issues elsewhere, simply
moving the problem along the coast
1. Groins
Groins are shore protection structures that decrease
erosion affects to the shoreline by changing offshore
current and wave patterns. Groins can be built by
materials such as concrete, stone, steel, or timber and
are categorized depend on length, height, and
permeability.

2. Seawalls
This large coastal protection structures can be built using different types of construction
materials such as rubble mound, granite masonry, or reinforced concrete. Seawalls are
commonly built and run along shoreline to
prevent coastal structures and areas from
detrimental influence of ocean wave actions and
flooding which are driven by storms. There are
various arrangement or configurations that
might be employed includes;
 Curved face seawall
 Stepped face seawall
 Rubble mound seawall
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3. Revetments
Revetments
are slanted or
upright
blockades,
built parallel to the coast, usually towards the back of the beach
to protect the area beyond. The most basic revetments consist
of timber slants with a possible rock infill. Waves break against
the revetments, which dissipate and absorb the energy. The
shoreline is protected by the beach material held behind the
barriers, as the revetments trap some of the material. They may
be watertight, covering the slope completely, or porous, to allow water to filter through after the
wave energy has been dissipated. Most revetments do not significantly interfere with transport of
longshore drift. Since the wall absorbs energy instead of reflecting, the surf progressively erodes
and destroys the revetment; therefore, maintenance is ongoing, as determined by the structural
material and product quality.
4. Rock armour
Rock armour is large rocks placed at the sea edge using local
material. This is generally used to absorb wave energy and
hold beach material. Although effective, this solution is
unpopular for aesthetic reasons. Longshore drift is not
hindered. Rock armour has a limited lifespan, is not effective
in storm conditions and reduces recreational values.
5. Gabions
Boulders and rocks are wired into mesh cages and placed in
front of areas vulnerable to erosion: sometimes at cliffs
edges or at right angles to the beach. When the ocean lands
on the gabion, the water drains through leaving sediment,
while the structure absorbs a moderate amount of wave
energy.
6. Offshore
breakwater
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Concrete blocks and/or boulders are sunk offshore to alter

wave direction and to filter wave and tide energy. The waves
break further offshore and therefore lose erosive power. This
leads to wider beaches, which further absorb wave energy.
7. Cliff stabilisation
Cliff stabilisation can be accomplished through drainage of
excess rainwater of through terracing, planting and wiring to
hold cliffs in place.

8. Entrance training walls

Training walls are built to constrain a river or creek as it
discharges across a sandy coastline. The walls stabilize and
deepen the channel which benefits navigation, flood
management, river erosion and water quality, but can cause
coastal erosion by interrupting longshore drift. One solution is
a sand bypassing system to pump sand under/around the
training walls.
9. Floodgates
Storm surge barriers, or floodgates, were introduced after the North Sea Flood of 1953 and
prevent damage from storm surges or any other type of natural disaster that could harm the area
they protect. They are habitually open and allow free passage, but close under threat of a storm
surge.

Soft engineering methods

Soft engineering can be a more sustainable, long-term and potentially more cost-effective
approach to coastal defense, working with natural processes to protect the shoreline.
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1. Beach replenishment
Beach replenishment/nourishment involves
importing sand from elsewhere and adding it to
the existing beach. The imported sand should be
of a similar quality to the existing beach material
so it can meld with the natural local processes
and without adverse effects. Beach nourishment
can be used in combination with groins. The
scheme requires repeated applications on an
annual or multi-year cycle.
2. Dune stabilization
Stabilizing dunes can help protect beaches by catching windblown sand, increasing natural beach
formation. Dune stabilization/sand dune management employs public amenities such as car
parks, footpaths, Dutch Ladders and boardwalks to reduce erosion and the removal of sand by
humans.

3. Beach drainage
Beach drainage or beach face dewatering lowers
the water table locally beneath the beach face. This
causes accretion of sand above the drainage system.

Five generic strategies are involved in coastal

defense:
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1. Abandonment
2. Managed retreat or realignment,
which plans for retreat and adopts
engineering solutions that
accommodate natural processes of
adjustment
3. Armoring by constructing seawalls
and other hard structures
4. Construct defenses seaward of the
coast
5. Adapting vertically by elevating land
and buildings

IV. REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What is Coastal Defense?
2. What are the configuration arrangement of Seawalls?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a coastline?
4. What can you say about the increasing commercial and industrial potential of
areas that are near the coast?
5. What do you mean about the Coastal Zone?
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V. SUMMARY:
Coastal defenses are a key part of coastal management, in which the land-
sea boundary is protected from flooding and erosion, categorized as hard
engineering is used to protect coasts, by absorbing energy of waves, while soft
engineering is a shoreline practice that uses sustainable ecological principles to
restore shoreline stabilization and protect riparian habitat. A coastal zones
accommodate more than 40% of the world’s population. Historically, this is due to
the increased commercial and industrial potential of areas that are near the coast,
such as shipping, fishing and tourism industries.

VI. REFERENCE:
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www.wikipedia.com
www.google.com
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/coastal-structure

VII. DEFINITION of TERMS:

Coastal – defined as the interface or transition areas between land and sea.
Coastal Engineering – is a branch of civil engineering concerned with the specific demands
posed by constructing at or near the coast.
Dune – is an amount of sand, hill or ridge of sand that lies behind the part of the beach affected
by tides.
Nourishment – describes a process by which sediment, usually sand, lost through longshore
drift or erosion is replaced from other sources
Dikes – is a sheet of rock that formed in a fracture in a pre-existing rock body.
Longshore current – is a geological process that consists of the transportation of sediments
along a coast parallel to the shoreline.
Seaward – the side that faces or is nearer to the sea.
Offshore – away from or at a distance from the coast.
Shoreline – is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or
lake.
Wave Energy – is the transport and capture of energy by ocean surface waves.
Rubble mound – is used for protection of harbors and beaches against wave action.
Stepped face – designed to limit wave run up and overtopping.
Curved face – is designed to enable waves to break to dissipate wave energy and to repel waves
back to the sea.
Erosion – is the action of surface processes such as water flow or winf that removes soil, rock,
or dissolved material.
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VIII. TEST QUESTIONER & ANSWER KEY:

Name:___________________________________________ Date:__________________
Section & Year:___________________________________ Score:_________________
TEST I. Multiple choice. Encircle the correct answer.
1. Describes a process by which sediment, usually sand, lost through longshore drift or erosion is replaced
from other sources.
a. Nourishment b. Dike c. Replenishment
2. A sheet of rock that formed in a fracture in a pre-existing rock body.
a. Nourishment b. Dike c. Replenishment
3. The interface or transition areas between land and sea.
a. Coastline b. Coastal Engineering c. Coastal
4. A branch of civil engineering concerned with the specific demands posed by constructing at or near
the coast.
a. Coastline b. Coastal Engineering c. Coastal
5. The action of surface processes such as water flow or wind that removes soil, rock, or dissolved
material.
a. Coastline b. Erosion c. Coastal
6. Designed to enable waves to break to dissipate wave energy and to repel waves back to the sea.
a. Curve face seawall b. Erosion c. Stepped face seawall
7. Designed to limit wave run up and overtopping.
a. Curve face seawall b. Erosion c. Stepped face seawall
8. This causes accretion of sand above the drainage system.
a. Curve face seawall b. Beach Drainage c. Stepped face seawall
9. Protect beaches by catching windblown sand, increasing natural beach formation.
a. Beach Replenishment b. Beach Drainage c. Dune Stabilisation
10. Importing sand from elsewhere and adding it to the existing beach.
a. Beach Replenishment b. Beach Drainage c. Dune Stabilisation

TEST II. Write true if the statement is correct and false if not. (2 points each)
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___________1.) Coastline is the side that faces or is nearer to the sea.

___________2.) Dikes is an amount of sand, hill or ridge of sand that lies behind the part of the beach
affected by tides.
___________3.) Dune is a sheet of rock that formed in a fracture in a pre-existing rock body.
___________4.) Curved face designed to limit wave run up and overtopping.
___________5.) Stepped face is designed to enable waves to break to dissipate wave energy and to repel
waves back to the sea.
___________6.) Coastal Engineering is a branch of civil engineering concerned with the specific
demands posed by constructing at or near the coast.
___________7.) Coastal defined as the interface or transition areas between land and sea.
___________8.) Erosion is the action of surface processes such as water flow or wind that removes soil,
rock, or dissolved material.
___________9.) Rubble mound is used for protection of harbors and beaches against wave action.
___________10.) Wave Energy is the transport and capture of energy by ocean surface waves.
TEST III. Enumerations. Write your answer at the back.
What are the two methods of coastal management?
Three various arrangement of seawalls.
9 Types of Hard Engineering
3 Types of Soft Engineering

Answer Key:
T-1: T-3:
1. A 1. Hard Engineering Method
2. B 2. Soft Engineering Method
3. C
3. Curves Faced Seawall
4. B
4. Stepped Faced Seawall
5. B
6. A 5. Rubble Mound Seawall
7. C 6. Seawalls
8. B 7. Revetments
9. C 8. Rock armour
10. A 9. Gabions
10. Offshore breakwater
11. Cliff stabilization
12. Entrance training wall
13. Floodgates
14. Groins
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T-2:
1. F
2. F
3. F
4. F
5. F
6. T
7. T
8. T
9. T
10. T