CHAPTER 13 – Design tools related to engineering

The bathymetry of the sea bed, the beach, and the adjacent coastal land formations must be known, not only at the location of the LCS scheme but also for the neighboring stretches along the coast because of potential distant effects of the structures. On charts for navigation purposes, a seabed level is most often defined relative to the chart datum, commonly taken as the lowest astronomic spring tide level. The coastal profile is very important for the assessment of the wave regime and its impact on morphology and the structure itself. Morphological impact because of seabed erosion and sedimentation causes bathymetry to vary with time. One storm can impose significant changes, as can seasonal variations in storm intensities. On eroding coasts, such short-term bathymetric modifications appear as fluctuations on top of the long-term retreat of the coastal profile. For the design of LCSs, it is important to know the lowest seabed level at the position of the structure, bearing in mind that the structure impose local changes if scour occurs. Every a maritime structure should comply with certain requirements of operationality, functionality, and reliability during a specific time interval. One of its purposes is to permit or facilitate a series of economic activities that will have social repercussions as well as impact on the physical environment. The main objective of the design of the structure is to verify the fulfillment of these objectives, requirements, repercussions, and impacts.