Open AccessHEADLAND DEFENSE OF COASTS
Author(s) -
Richard Silvester
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
proceedings of conference on coastal engineering/proceedings of ... conference on coastal engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2156-1028
pISSN - 0589-087X
DOI - 10.9753/icce.v15.81
Subject(s) - headland , bay , breakwater , geology , swell , littoral zone , submarine pipeline , storm , shore , oceanography , geography
Crenulate shaped bays are ubiquitous and constitute the largest proportion of coastline length. The characteristics of stable bays (i.e., no littoral drift) are known, so that realistic encroachment limits can be defined. Allowances for long term changes in direction of persistent swell and annual attack from multidirectional storm waves may have to be made. The exposure of a rock outcrop during an erosive sequence will create a new fixed point on the coast and hence a new bayed system. An existing non-stable bay can be prevented from indenting to its equilibrium shape by the construction of one or more fixed points around its periphery. Research should be conducted to minimise the cost of headlands which might start off as offshore breakwaters, even mobile units.