Coastal engineering is a branch of civil engineering that applies engineering principles specifically to projects within the coastal zone (nearshore, estuary, marine, and shoreline). 

The Coastal Engineering Manual (ACE, 2001) defines Coastal Engineering as ‘a composite of many physical science and engineering disciplines having application in the coastal area. It requires the rational interweaving of knowledge from a number of technical disciplines to develop solutions for problems associated with natural and human induced changes in the coastal zone, the structural and non-structural mitigation of these changes, and the positive and negative impacts of possible solutions to problem areas on the coast’. 

Coastal Engineers may utilize contributions of Coastal Science (see definition below), and with this the fields of geology, meteorology, environmental sciences, hydrology, physics, mathematics, statistics, oceanography, marine science, hydraulics, structural dynamics, naval architecture, and others in developing an understanding of the problem and a possible solution. 

Coastal Science (ACE, 2001): the field encompasses a suite of interdisciplinary technologies applied to understanding processes, environments, and characteristics of the coastal zone. Coastal Engineers use these understandings to develop physical adaptations to solve problems and enhance the human interface with the coast.

As climate changes, sea levels rise, coastlines become more at risk of flooding and there is an increased economic pressure to make decisions; coastal engineering and structures are becoming increasingly driven by the practice of sustainable management. In utilizing an array of disciplines, they support the development of a coastal engineering solution for development along the coastline, flood and erosion management and the construction of ports and harbors.  

The Coastal Engineer must consider the processes present in the area of interest such as:

• Hydrodynamics processes (winds, waves, water level fluctuations, and currents).
  
• Seasonal meteorological trends (hurricane season, winter storms).
  
• Sediment processes (sources, transport paths, sinks, and characteristics).
  
• Geological processes (soil and strata characteristics, stable and migrating sub-aerial and sub-aqueous features, rebounding or subsiding surfaces).
  
• Long-term environmental trends (sea level rise, climate change).
  
• Social and political conditions (land use, development trends, regulatory laws, social trends, public safety, and economics).
  
• Harbor works, navigation channel improvements, shore protection, flood damage reduction. 
  
• Environmental processes (chemical, ecological).
  
• Environmental preservation and restoration are the primary areas of endeavor.
  

 

Supporting the Coastal Engineering Industry is research and innovation. Institutes such as Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) and Universities are key to this role.

                                                                                                                        

1 US Army Corps of Engineers (ACE), 2001. Coastal Engineering Manual. 30th September 2001. Department of the Army, Washington, DC 20314-1000.