methods of pollution control and restoration— 
even the redesign of ships, if necessary. 
B. Coastal Engineering 
The shoreline of any nation is a natural location 
for industrial and commercial activity, transporta- 
tion terminals, and transfer facilities. It is where 
the most prized resorts and residential neighbor- 
hoods develop and it is an essential recreational 
area for a majority of the population. The bays, 
estuaries, and nearshore waters rank among the 
most important for food production and harvest- 
ing, not to mention hatcheries for many species 
important to the ocean fisheries. Therefore, the 
shoreline (coastal zone) must be considered a vital 
national resource. 
Shorelines have been misused and poorly 
managed for such a long time that major advances 
in our knowledge and its application to the coastal 
zone are essential to prevent further degradation 
and to effect restoration. Greatly increased prior- 
ity in national planning must be given to protec- 
ting existing shoreline and facilities, modifying the 
shoreline to achieve its most prudent utilization by 
the many competing demands, and its extension 
by construction of inlets, peninsulas, and offshore 
islands. 
1. Current Situation 
The most effective shoreline modification and 
construction of fixed structures in the coastal zone 
require knowledge of: (1) coastal zone oceano- 
graphy, physiography, ecology, and substructure, 
(2) the properties of sediments both above and 
below the waterline, and (3) the multitude of 
natural processes occurring in the coastal environ- 
ment. Further, such modification and construction 
must consider that changes in the shoreline or 
bottom topography, modification of sediments, 
and introduction of man-made objects will alter 
natural coastline processes. 
Planning and design phases prior to modifica- 
tion and construction require qualitative and 
quantitative information to provide accurate defi- 
nition of nearshore properties and processes. Also 
the engineer must be able to predict the effects of 
these properties and processes on the modification 
or structure and, also, to predict the effects of 
modifications and structures on the environmental 
and coastal processes. 
VI-106 
The lack of such critical information consti- 
tutes a technology barrier if (1) the needed criteria 
require the acquisition of data which cannot be 
obtained without technological advances, (2) basic 
understanding is inadequate to permit accurate 
interpretation of such data, or (3) the acquisition 
of the information requires long-term observation. 
Principal inadequacies of basic engineering 
criteria exist in environmental design, coastal 
planning, conservation of sand, construction and 
modification technology, movement and stabiliza- 
tion of sediment, and environmental protection. 
Environmental design criteria to support coastal 
modification and construction is needed in (1) 
sub-bottom structure and bottom topography 
(bathymetry), (2) prevailing and maximum con- 
ditions of wind, waves, surface currents, tides, and 
subsurface currents, and (3) design methods that 
accurately account for the effects of these environ- 
mental factors in planning and design. 
For the coastal zone, much technology is in 
hand. However, such information is not readily 
available to the coastal engineer at present. The 
well-recognized need to develop environmental 
criteria for planning and design (particularly those 
activities in which coastal zone development is 
expected to be most rapid and extensive) is being 
pursued as rapidly as time and present funds 
permit. 
The state of knowledge for translating environ- 
mental data into design criteria is not adequate, 
particularly for wind and wave forces. Model 
studies of natural processes at the land-sea inter- 
face have had only limited success, mainly because 
scale effects are poorly understood. The major 
concern and uncertainty are for structures, vessels, 
or devices which penetrate the air-sea interface and 
are integral parts of undersea activities. 
In undersea activities, principal unknowns are a 
knowledge of subsurface currents, the effects of 
surface waves on subsurface structures, the rela- 
tion between subsurface phenomena and the dis- 
turbance of ecology, and the phenomena occuring 
at the air-sea interface. This information is essen- 
tial for optimum planning, design, and modifica- 
tion of structures in the coastal zone. Lack of 
initiative in advancing technology for measuring 
basic coastal environmental characteristics will 
have serious negative effects on all future engineer- 
ing programs in the coastal zone. 
