Engineering a Seawall to Prevent Storm Erosion
Students building their seawall.Copyright 2021 Rebecca Butler, University of Florida MRET
Preventing coastal erosion and loss of land due to storms is an important component of civil engineering, specifically among coastal engineers. In this activity, students become coastal engineers as they use their knowledge of storm/beach erosion to create seawalls out of recycled materials. In small groups, students use the engineering design process to consider the costs of materials and determine the best way to use their budget and their knowledge of each material to build a seawall to withstand erosion under storm conditions. After they develop their prototype, each team then takes measurements and observations about the effects of weathering upon their simulated beach. Students not only observe the effects of weathering, but they also use their knowledge of rocks and minerals to determine how to best construct their design.
Civil engineers construct buildings, roads, schools, and many other things we reside in or travel on every day. Coastal engineers are civil engineers who specialize in building near the ocean. They combine civil engineering with oceanography and coastal geology to build structures near the coast to withstand weathering, storms, and the ecological impact of construction. Coastal engineers are constantly improving upon ways to reduce the ecological impact of their builds and decrease the cost of their construction. One of the ways coastal engineers try to do this is by using recycled materials or natural resources sourced from the region around their build.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Identify patterns of change and erosion on the coast by observing maps and diagrams.
- Describe the effect of storm erosion on coasts.
- Apply steps of the engineering design process.
- Create a design that considers specific constraints such as materials, costs, and time to design a seawall that can withstand erosion.