OVERVIEW OF COASTAL

ENGINEERING

O C E A N A N D C OA S TA L E N G I N E E R I N G
VDB 4213
D R S I T I H A B I BA H S H A F I A I September 2017
H T T P S : / / U L E A R N. U T P. E D U. M Y / LO G I N / I N D E X . P H P
PREVIOUS TOPICS
Coastal Problems in Malaysia
Ocean and Coastal Engineering Course Syllabus
OVERVIEW OF COASTAL ENGINEERING
1. Coastal terminology and glossary
2. Beach Profile
3. Malaysia Coastal Area
4. The Beach and Nearshore System
5. Beach Sediments and Characteristics
6. Conclusions
COASTAL TERMINOLOGY AND GLOSSARY
Appendix A-C as a common vocabulary for this course

COASTAL TERMINOLOGY AND GLOSSARY

Glossary of Terms

Tables (wave tables)

BEACH PROFILE

A typical beach profile.

BEACH PROFILE
A typical beach profile.
BEACH PROFILE
 MALAYSIA COASTAL AREA
Fact: Out of the country's coastline of
4,809 km, about 29% or 1,380 km was
facing erosion.

Now (NCES2, 2017 ): country's

coastline is 8000++ km

**NCES-National Coastal Erosion Study

MALAYSIA COASTAL AREA

 TYPES OF MALAYSIAN COASTLINE
The Malaysian coastline varies from scenic bays flanked by rocky headlands to shallow mud
flats lined with mangrove forests.

rocky headlands
Pantai Bukit Keluang, Terengganu

mud flats
Pantai Sabak, Selangor

MALAYSIA COASTAL AREA

East coast of Peninsular Malaysia
The high sediment yield from river discharges and
harsher wave environment create the setting for a
coastline of sandy bays.

West coast of Peninsular Malaysia East coast - sandy bays

the mild wave climate of the Straits of Malacca
make for wide mud shores and coastal forests rich
in biodiversity.

Similar forms characterized the beaches of

Sarawak and Sabah although certain sandy
areas are very flat.
West coast-mud shores

MALAYSIA COASTAL AREA

 THE BEACH AND NEARSHORE SYSTEM
Beach
The region where the forces of the sea react
against the land.
The physical system within this region is
composed primarily of the motion of the sea

THE BEACH AND NEARSHORE SYSTEM

THE SEA. Sun

Energy expended on the shore-Contribute Radiant energy warms the water,

to the beach and nearshore physical system warms the air (forms air currents)

Creates the motions of the sea including Air currents blow across the water
tides, ocean currents & storm surges. (forms wind waves).

The waves then

travel across
the oceans
THE BEACH AND NEARSHORE SYSTEM
COASTAL PROCESSES
Breaking waves move sand along the coast, eroding sand in one area and
depositing it on an adjacent beach.

Tidal cycles bring sand onto the beach and carry it back into the surf zone.

Rivers carry sediment to the coast and build deltas into the open water.

Storms cause deep erosion in one area and leave thick overwash deposits in
another area.

THE BEACH AND NEARSHORE SYSTEM

Sea level rise
Long term rise in sea level
exists resulting in a slow, long-
term recession of the shoreline
partly due to direct flooding &
partly as a result of profile
adjustment to higher water
level

THE BEACH AND NEARSHORE SYSTEM

NOR ASLINDA AWANG & MOHD RADZI BIN ABD. HAMID, hydrolink number 2/2013
Wave & surge overwash

Waves & overflowing water erode

the beach, transport & deposit the
material shoreward of the beach

THE BEACH AND NEARSHORE SYSTEM

Pre- & post Hurricane Ivan conditions in Alabama, USA (2005)
Longshore sediment transport

Definition: Sediments are transported alongshore by

waves breaking at an angle to the shore. Schematic of Longshore Transport

If sediment carrying capacity of longshore current

generated by waves exceeds quantity of sediments
naturally supplied to the beach, beach erosion occurs
(gradient in longshore sediment transport)

Kerteh, Terengganu

THE BEACH AND NEARSHORE SYSTEM

Diverse and complex natural processes
Continually change coasts physically, at scales that range from microscopic (grains
of sand) to global (changes in sea level).

Regional and local characteristics of coasts control the differing interactions and
relative importance of these natural processes.

Human activity adds yet another dimension to coastal change by modifying and
disturbing, both directly and indirectly, the coastal environments and the natural
processes of change.

THE BEACH AND NEARSHORE SYSTEM

COASTAL EROSION-CATEGORISATION (MALAYSIA)
Erosion category:
Category 1 Critical Erosion: Fast retreating coastline at the rate of In general, the erosion
more than 4 m/year with generally fairly dense human settlement, severity increases with
with some commercial/industrial activities being served by the physical erosion
significant public infrastructure and facilities; rates and economic
significance of the
coastline at risk of
erosion:
Category 2 Significant Erosion: Retreating coastline at the rate of
between more than 1 m/year but less than 4 m/year with generally
sparsely-populated area, with some agricultural activities being
served by relatively minor public infrastructure and facilities; and

Category 3 Acceptable Erosion: Slowly retreating coastline of less

than 1 m/year with generally no human settlement and minimal
agricultural activities, and not served by public infrastructure and Source: JPS
facilities THE BEACH AND NEARSHORE SYSTEM
COASTAL EROSION-CATEGORISATION (MALAYSIA)
Physical parameter Economic parameter

100
90
80
70
60
Category 1
50
Category 2
40 ` Category 3
30
20
10
0
1986 2000 2005
Source: JPS

**More info: http://nces.water.gov.my/nces/About

THE BEACH AND NEARSHORE SYSTEM
ADAPTATION MEASURES FOR COASTAL STORMS
COASTAL FEATURES Bay-Pangkor, Malaysia

Hocked Spit
Turtle Island, Sabah, Malaysia

THE BEACH AND NEARSHORE SYSTEM

Tombolos
A ridge of sand and shingle joining the mainland
to an island form due to the sheltering effect of
offshore islands on the predominant wave
directions.

Salient
Being produced where the island is too far
offshore to produce a tombolo.

THE BEACH AND NEARSHORE SYSTEM

Spits
formed progressively from headlands which have a
plentiful supply of sediment
Spits formed in shallow and sheltered water when there
is a change in the direction of the coastline
These spits can then become hocked due to the action of
waves from directions opposing the predominant one.

THE BEACH AND NEARSHORE SYSTEM

 Coastal Spits-Diagram and explanation

**Longshore drift (LSD) - is the movement of sand along the coastline

THE BEACH AND NEARSHORE SYSTEM
BEACH SEDIMENTS
fine sands
From fine sands to cobbles.

Depends on beach exposure towards sea

forces and the type of material available on
the coast.
cobbles

BEACH SEDIMENTS AND CHARACTERISTICS

 In general:
The larger the sand particles the
steeper the beach slope.

By C Michael Hogan
BEACH SEDIMENTS AND CHARACTERISTICS
Much of the beach material originates from inland.
Weathering of the mountains supplied to the beach by streams and rivers.
They are moved alongshore by waves and currents as sand.

BEACH SEDIMENTS AND CHARACTERISTICS

Beach material is also derived from onshore movement of sediment from deeper water.

In some regions, the beach material is composed of marine shell fragments, coral reef
fragments, or volcanic materials.

**volcanic sand beach, near Goa Lawah (Bat Cave) in Bali - South.

BEACH SEDIMENTS AND CHARACTERISTICS

 Clay and silt?

Both are do not usually exist on ocean

beaches because the turbulence in the water
made those sediments in suspension.

The particles settle and deposit into the

quieter water of lagoons and estuaries or the
deeper water offshore.

BEACH SEDIMENTS AND CHARACTERISTICS

OVERALL BEACH CHARACTERIZATION
1. Average size of the sand particles
2. Range and distribution of sizes of the sand particles
3. Sand composition
4. Elevation and width of berm
5. Slope or steepness of the foreshore
6. The existence (or lack) of a sandbar
7. The general slope of the inshore zone fronting the beach

BEACH SEDIMENTS AND CHARACTERISTICS

 CONCLUSIONS
Impact of the
solution on the
existing Design a
coastal system solution
and
environment.

knowledge of the
natural processes
(the wind and water
forces driving them)

CLOSING REMARKS
 From field Develop an
investigations and a understanding of the
knowledge of physics coastal processes at
the project site

Modelling both Study the possible

physical and solutions and their
numerical impacts.

CLOSING REMARKS
 ACTIVITY
1. Find TEN (10) words in the slides that highlighted and underlined with orange
colour.
2. Find the meaning of the words from the Glossary in the APPENDIX A.
 COASTAL NOMENCLATURE
Offshore zone
water depths > 1/2
wavelength of incoming
waves. Wave-induced
sediment movement is limited
nearshore zone
wave modification and all
sediment movement occurs
breaker zone
breaking waves occur
 COASTAL NOMENCLATURE
surf zone
broken waves travel up the
shore; sediment is transported
on- and offshore, as well as
alongshore
swash zone
landward area covered by
uprushing water from breaking
wave, and exposed by backwash
as wave moves back
backshore zone
lies above level of wave action
Longshore drift
 THANKS FOR LISTENING!
Issues/topics that OCE students want to Know

Tsunami-wave transformation Law-Fish bombing/fishery activities

Sedimentation/soil erosion Law-dev. at coastal area/ mitigation (tidal)
Tidal/wave/currents Law-Mangrove?
Law-Siltation at river mouth/law
To balance the ecosystem & coastal dev.
Flood
Sea level rise

breakwater (coastal protection methods)

Land reclamation
 Law-Fish bombing/fishery activities
Law-dev. at coastal area/ mitigation (tidal)
Law-Mangrove?
Law-Siltation at river mouth/law
To balance the ecosystem & coastal dev.

Coastal Management

Town and Country Planning Act 1976

Environmental Quality Act 1974: (1985)
Environmental Quality Order 1987 (Environmental Impact Assessment
Prescribed Activities)
Mining Enactment 1936 (F.M.S. Cap 147)
Fisheries Act 1963 (1985) / Inland Fisheries Act
FISHERIES ACT 1985
 Singing Beach, Manchester by the Sea, MA. (late October 99).
During high tide, waves breaking on the beach face over-top the berm.
The shallow uprush of water that carries sediment is termed swash.
The limit of swash during a tidal cycle is marked by a band of debris pushed shoreward by the leading edge of the
swash.
Label the beach zones and their features in figure below.
Identify the berm, beach face, low tide terrace and the fitted riprap revetment that terminates the
backshore.