hard engineering

• sea walls

  vertical/sloping structures, built along the shoreline, wave scour at the bases of the walls and eventually undermine them
• groynes

  wooden/concrete barriers built at right angles to the beach, prevent longshore drift by letting it build up.
• coastal management


  the attempt by people to maintain the natural features of the coast for their own advantage
• revetments

  allow sediment to pass through them, longshore drift is not hindered, absorb energy of waves before reaching the cliffs.
• rock armour

  large boulders that work in a similar way to sea walls, but are permeable. dissipate the wave energy by absorbing the impacts of the waves.
• gabions

  rocks encased in a wire mesh, local material so blends in
• offshore reef/breakwater

  built parallel to coast, waves forced to break before reaching
• cliff fixing/stabilisation

  decrease of mass movement, strengthens cliff and strengthens materials.