Hard engineering

• Hard engineering - The use of concrete and large artificial structures to defend the coast against natural erosion processes. (man made)
• Rock Armour

  Large rocks which are placed in front of the cliff,  

  sea wall or piled up along the coast

  The boulders absorb wave energy reducing  

  erosion and flooding. 
• Gabions 

  Wide cages filled with rocks that can be built up to support a cliff or provide a buffer against the sea 
• Groynes

  Timber or rock structures built out to sea from the coast.
• Sea wall

  A wall made out of hard material e.g.  concrete, modern ones have a recurved face  that reflect waves back to sea
• Timber or rock structures built out to sea from the coast (beach) trap sediment being moved by longshore drift and enlarge the beach on one side of the groyne.
• Groynes interrupt longshore drift, starving beaches further along the coast and often leading to increased rates of erosion elsewhere.
• Groynes are unnatural and can be viewed as ugly.
• Groynes create a wider beach, which can be popular for tourists.
• Groynes are less expensive than other methods of beach management.