ENVIRONMENT IN COASTAL ENGINEERING: DEFINITIONS AND EXAMPLES

Abstract

In current usage, environmental aspects of coastal engineering design include aspects of ecology and aesthetics, as well as environment. In practice, the aspect of environment is a limited one, considering man's surroundings, with the works of man left out. The increased consideration of environmental aspects over the past 15 years has brought real benefits to the coastal engineering profession, as well as obvious problems. One problem is a mythology of coastal processes that has become widely accepted. Priorities in coastal engineering design remain a structure that will last a useful lifetime and perform its intended function without creating new problems. After satisfying these fundamental requirements, the structure should minimize ecological change, and fit pleasingly in its setting.