Online Coastal eLearning

Design and Construction Guidance for Breakaway Walls ...ion guidelines for ? breakaway? walls used below Elevated Coastal Buildings. In Coastal High Hazard Areas (Zones V, VE, and V1-30), the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) regulations require that communities participating in the program adopt floodplain management ordinances or laws requiring that all new and substantially improved buildings be elevated to or above the base flood  more...

Low Cost Shore Protection ...ering design and construction, but is not a specialist in coastal engineering or shoreline protection. In distinguishing between low cost and cheap, one should remember that practically any method of shore protection, if properly implemented, is expensive. Significant investments are required to achieve the durability needed to resist even small waves. Low cost simply means that the various  more...

Design of Buildings in High Wind Coastal Areas This course will review the design process required for residential buildings (one to three-story) to withstand hurricanes and other severe natural hazard events. The required calculations for all of the site specific design loads (forces) which will be applied to the structure is not within the scope of this course, however these site specific forces, which have been previously calculated in a  more...

Highways in the Coastal Environment ...60,000 road miles in the United States that can be called coastal highway. The highways in the coastal environments have unique challenges than highways located far inland. These challenges can be attributed to storm surges, high tides, and bridge scour, among others. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) describes Coastal engineering as the planning, design, construction and operation  more...

Earthquakes and Tsunamis Fundamental Concepts ... word for “huge wave”. These waves devastated coastal towns around the Gulf of Alaska and along the western coast of North America. The tsunami waves traveled across the Pacific Ocean at great speed reaching the islands of Hawaii and Japan causing damage there too. Information about the Great Southeast Asia Earthquake and Tsunami of 2004 is also presented and discussed. This 2004  more...

Prevention of Shoreline Erosion - Coastal Defense Schemes ...ned to introduce the basic design concepts behind various coastal erosion defense schemes. Coastal structures are used in coastal defense schemes with the objective of preventing shoreline erosion and flooding of the adjacent coastal areas. Other objectives include sheltering of harbor basins and harbor entrances against waves, stabilization of navigation channels at inlets, and protection of  more...

History of Coastal Engineering ...coastal engineering reaches back over five thousand years to the ancient world bordering the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf. Coastal engineering, as it relates to harbors, started with the development of maritime traffic, perhaps before 3500 B.C. Recently, archaeologists, using modern survey techniques, excavations, and old documents, have revealed some of the  more...

Construction of Residential Buildings in Coastal Areas ...coastal zones presents challenges to the builder not usually found in more inland locations. For all coastal residential buildings, these challenges may include the following: Various connection details require additional inspections Careful surveying is required to place the building within property line setbacks and above the Design Flood Elevation (DFE) Special care which is  more...

Ice Forces on Structures ...uctures placed in inland waters, e.g., lakes, rivers, and coastal waters. The student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of twenty-one (21) questions at the end of this course to obtain PDH credits. Specific Knowledge or Skill Attained This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills: Mechanical Properties of Ice Wind and Water Drag Forces Thermal Ice Forces  more...

Determination of Site-Specific Loads for Residential Buildings in Coastal Areas Overview This course will review the procedures and formulas required to determine the appropriate forces which residential buildings could become subjected to during hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis and other severe natural hazard events. The design procedures required to determine the site specific design loads (forces) which will be applied to the structure, is the basis of this course.  more...

Vulnerability Assessment of Coastal Sites ...coastal areas, proper siting and design require an accurate assessment of the vulnerability of any proposed structure or building site, including the nature and extent of coastal hazards. Failure to properly identify and design against coastal hazards can lead to severe consequences, causing building damage or destruction. This course discusses the following topics: Hazard identification  more...

Evaporative Cooling Design Guidelines ...ently, evaporative systems are not suitable for the humid coastal regions. They are generally suitable for areas with dry summers (most of the western United States) and other dry-climate areas worldwide. Evaporative cooling is also appropriate for spaces with high outside air ventilation requirements such as patios, auto garages, workshops, locker rooms, restaurants, kitchens, barns, green  more...