Hard engineering

In civil engineering of shorelines, hard engineering is generally defined as controlled disruption of natural processes by using man-made structures.

Effects

Hard engineering can cause unintended environmental consequences, such as new erosion and altered sedimentation - sand deposition patterns, that are detrimental to the immediate human and natural environment or along down-coast locations and habitats. Examples of hard engineering are groynes - a wooden wall to prevent longshore drift - and sea walls that deflect waves.