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The world's coastlines, dividing land from sea, are geological environments that are unique in their composition and the physical processes affecting them. At the dynamically active intersection of land and the oceans, humans have been building structures throughout history. Initially used for naval and commercial purposes, more recently recreation and tourism have increased activity in the coastal zone dramatically. Shoreline development is now causing a significant conflict with natural coastal processes. This text on coastal engineering will help the reader understand these coastal processes and develop strategies to cope effectively with shoreline erosion. The book is organized in four parts: (1) an overview of coastal engineering, using case studies to illustrate problems; (2) hydrodynamics of the coastal zone, reviewing storm surges, water waves, and low frequency motions within the nearshore and surf zone; (3) coastal responses including equilibrium beach profiles and sediment transport; (4) applications such as erosion mitigation, beach nourishment, coastal armoring, tidal inlets, and shoreline management.

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An analytical stream function expression representing a nonlinear gravity water wave is applied both to the representation of measured wave forms and also to nonlinear theoretical waves. The stream function form is chosen so that it is a solution to the Laplace equation and the bottom boundary condition; the parameters in the stream function expression are chosen by a numerical perturbation procedure that provides a best fit to the kinematic and dynamic free surface boundary conditions. The boundary condition errors associated with the nonlinear stream function representation of four measured wave profiles are compared with estimates of the corresponding errors associated with a linear representation. The stream function method is judged more accurate than a linear method if the wave height is greater than 50% of the breaking height. The stream function method is also applied to represent theoretical waves for which only the wave height and period are available to characterize the wave profile. It is demonstrated that the method represents an improvement over other available nonlinear procedures. The method can be employed to represent wave conditions which include a prescribed uniform steady current and a specified pressure distribution on the free surface.

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This paper describes an attempt to verify experimentally the wavemaker theory for a piston-type wavemaker. The theory is based upon the usual assumptions of classical hydrodynamics, i.e. that the fluid is inviscid, of uniform density, that motion starts from rest, and that non-linear terms are neglected. If the water depth, wavelength, wave period, and wavemaker stroke (of a harmonically oscillating wavemaker) are known, then the wavemaker theory predicts the wave motion everywhere, and in particular the wave height a few depths away from the wavemaker.The experiments were conducted in a 100 ft. wave channel, and the wave-height envelope was measured with a combination hook-and-point gauge. A plane beach (sloping 1:15) to absorb the wave energy was located at the far end of the channel. The amplitude-reflexion coefficient was usually less than 10%. Unless this reflexion effect is corrected for, it imposes one of the most serious limitations upon experimental accuracy. In the analysis of the present set of measurements, the reflexion effect is taken into account.The first series of tests was concerned with verifying the wavemaker theory for waves of small steepness (0.002 ≤ H/L ≤ 0.03). For this range of wave steepnesses, the measured wave heights were found to be on the average 3.4% below the height predicted by theory. The experimental error, as measured by the scatter about aline 3.4% below the theory, was of the order of 3%. The systematic deviation of 3.4% is believed to be partly due to finite-amplitude effects and possibly to imperfections in the wavemaker motion.The second series of tests was concerned with determining the effects of finite amplitude. For therange of wave steepnesses 0.045 ≤ H/L ≤ 0.048, themeasured wave heights were found to be on the average 10% below the heightspredictedfrom the small-amplitude theory. The experimental error was again of the order of 3%.It is considered that these measurements confirm the validity of the small-amplitude wave theory. No confirmation of this accuracy has hitherto been given for forced motions.