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Coastal defenses are objects and engineering techniques used to defend coasts against erosion and flooding. These may be hard engineering or soft engineering. In England and Wales, the term Coastal Protection is used to describe protection of the coast agianst erosion whilst the term Sea Defences is used from protection against flooding Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... It has been suggested that Seawall be merged into this article or section. ... Engineering applies scientific and technical knowledge to solve human problems. ... A coastal image featured on a United States postal stamp. ... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock, and so forth) by the agents of wind, water, ice, movement in response to gravity, or living organisms (in the case of bioerosion). ... A flood (in Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages; compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float) is an overflow of water, an expanse of water submerging land, a deluge. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: England Travel guide to England from Wikitravel English language English law English (people) List of monarchs of England – Kings of England family tree List of English people Angeln (region in northern Germany, presumably the origin of the Angles for whom England is named) UK... National motto: Cymru am byth (Welsh: Wales for ever) Waless location within the UK Official languages English, Welsh Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff First Minister Rhodri Morgan Area  - Total Ranked 3rd UK 20,779 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 3rd UK 2,903,085 140/km² NUTS 1... A flood (in Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages; compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float) is an overflow of water, an expanse of water submerging land, a deluge. ...

Hard engineering techniques involve building rock or concrete structures, most commonly sea walls, jetties, rock islands, rock aprons and breakwaters. Piles of large rocks are especially efficient at dissipating wave energy as they are able to move, and water can percolate through them. Sedimentary, volcanic, plutonic, metamorphic rock types of North America. ... Placing a concrete floor for a commercial building Installing rebar in a floor during a concrete pour In construction, concrete is a composite building material made from the combination of aggregate and cement binder. ... A seawall is a form of hard coastal defense that are constructed on the inland part of a coast to reduce the effects of strong waves, typically to defend the coast around a town or harbour from erosion. ... Alternate meanings: See Jetty (web server) Alternate meanings: See Jettying in buildings The term jetty, derived from the French jetie, and therefor signifying something thrown out, is applied to a variety of structures employed in river, dock and maritime works which are generally carried out in pairs from river banks... Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defense. ... In chemistry and other physical sciences, percolation is a type of filtering. ...

Soft engineering most commonly involves encouraging the build-up of land between the sea and the object being protected, most commonly a beach, but sometimes a salt marsh or dune system. Beach nourishment takes place at many coastal towns in western countries. Many places encourage sediment accumulation by constructing groynes, out of rock or concrete. These cause sand carried by longshore drift and sea currents to be deposited. 90 mile beach Australia A beach or strand is a geological formation consisting of loose rock particles such as sand, shingle, cobble, or even shell along the shoreline of a body of water. ... This article is about marsh, a type of wetland. ... Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley National Park In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by eolian (wind-related) processes. ... Before and after photos of beach restoration efforts, Florida coastline, USA. Beach nourishment, a process in which sand or sediments lost by longshore drifts or erosion are replaced on a certain area of a beach. ... Sediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of water or other liquid. ... A groyne on the East coast of England Wikimedia Commons has more media related to: Groyne A groyne (groin in the United States) is a method of coastal defense against erosion. ... Patterns in the sand Sand is an example of a class of materials called granular matter. ... In geography, longshore drift (LSD) (or littoral drift) refers to a process by which sediments move along a beach shoreline. ... A current is a movement or flow of fluids, especially water in a river or ocean. ... Deposition, also known as sebimentatation, is the geological process whereby material is added to a landform. ...

Vegetation can also be grown on the coasts to stabilize the sand and reduce the effects of erosion. Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants, and is, by far, the most abundant biotic element of the biosphere. ... A coastal image featured on a United States postal stamp. ... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock, and so forth) by the agents of wind, water, ice, movement in response to gravity, or living organisms (in the case of bioerosion). ...

The alternative to coastal defenses is managed retreat. In the context of coastal erosion, a managed retreat means simply abandoning any attempts to control longshore drift and simply letting nature take its course. ...

See also: list of coastal topics, geography, earth science. A coastal image featured on a United States postal stamp. ... Earth science (also known as geoscience, the geosciences or the Earth Sciences), is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. ...

External links

• Deltaworks Online - Coastal Defenses in the Netherlands