Coastal engineering

Coastal engineering

A branch of civil engineering that applies engineering principles specifically to projects within the coastal zone including areas nearshore, estuary, marine, and shoreline.

Industry: Engineering

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Coastal engineering

Barrier island

Engineering; Coastal engineering

A detached portion of a barrier beach between two inlets. It commonly has dunes, vegetated areas, and swampy terranes (see barrier flat) extending from the beach into the lagoon. Example: Outer ...

Littoral transport rate

Engineering; Coastal engineering

Rate of transport of sedimentary material parallel or perpendicular to the shore in the littoral zone. Usually expressed in cubic metres (cubic yards) per year. Commonly synonymous with longshore ...

Fully-developed sea

Engineering; Coastal engineering

The waves that form when wind blows for a sufficient period of time across the open ocean. The waves of a fully developed sea have the maximum height possible for a given wind speed, fetch and ...

Edge wave

Engineering; Coastal engineering

An ocean wave parallel to a coast, with crests normal to the shoreline. An edge wave may be standing or progressive. Its height diminishes rapidly seaward and is negligible at a distance of one ...

A type of wave in shallow water (i.e., where the depth of water is less than 1/8 to 1/10 the wavelength). The surface profile is expressed in terms of the Jacobian elliptic function cn u; hence the ...

Permanent current

Engineering; Coastal engineering

A current that runs continuously, independent of the tides and temporary causes. Permanent currents include the freshwater discharge of a river and the currents that form the general circulatory ...

Mattress

Engineering; Coastal engineering

A blanket of brushwood or bamboo, poles, geotextile and reed lashed together to protect a shoreline, embankment or river/sea bed against erosion. Sometimes placed on the sea bed during jetty ...