Most Australians live close to the coast HOW DO I and our beaches are a significant national BECOME A asset. Coastal Engineers are key players WHERE C AN I Coastal in the environmental rehabilitation and GET FURTHER sustainable management of our coast. ENGINEER? INFORMAt ion?
Most Coastal Engineers become Your first step should be to visit specialists in the field after the web site of Engineers Australia. graduating from universities with There you will be able to get A C areer in a degree in civil or environmental information on a whole range of engineering. This is a 4 year full questions you might have about time course offered by most engineering or engineering courses. Coastal major universities in Australia. To If you would like to talk to a qualify as a specialist in coastal Coastal Engineer, contact by mail, engineering requires further post phone, fax or email the Secretary Engineering graduate study. This normally of the National Committee on takes the form of formal course Coastal and Ocean Engineering in work programs that require 1 A beach profile being surveyed as Canberra. You will be referred to year of full time study or 2 to part of the COPE field experiment the committee member closest to 3 years of part time study. A at Burleigh, Gold Coast. where you live. The address is: second option is to undertake The National Committee a full time post graduate What employment on Coastal and Ocean Engineering research degree, normally opportunities are Engineers Australia requiring between 2 and 3 years there ? 11 National Circuit to complete. Often the post A wide range of coastal Barton, ACT 2600 graduate training is done after engineering activity is carried ph (02) 6270 6545 working for some time with out by government departments fax (02) 6273 2358 experienced engineers. and agencies at federal, state, email [email protected] regional and local levels, by Web Site www.engineersaustralia.org.au/nccoe/ Therefore school leavers need engineering consulting firms, to qualify for entrance to civil universities, manufacturers, or environmental engineering shipping companies, the tourist degree courses and should select, industry and the recreational and do well in, mathematics and boating industry. In addition, physics at year 12 level. there is an ongoing demand for coastal engineers to work on development projects overseas. Investigations Coastal Engineers investigate what is actually happening in the coastal zone. This involves measurement of waves, winds, sea levels, sand movements and water quality. It also involves developing an understanding of the processes that are Large cranes causing the coast to behave as it does. Advanced physical and used to place mathematical modelling techniques are used to analyse the materials on a data and to test the effects of artificial and natural changes to breakwater. the coastal environment. Assessing the environmental impact of structures in the What Do Coastal Engineers Do? coastal zone by modelling. ENGINEERING Designs L
A Coastal Engineers design structures on the coast such Many shorelines
ST as breakwaters, harbours, marinas and new beaches. In require rehabilitation
A developing designs which are economical, safe, serviceable and and revised building O environmentally acceptable the engineer will: setbacks as a result C • study the shape of the coast and the historical changes of our improved that have occurred; understanding of • determine the winds and waves that can occur at the coastal dynamics. project location; • use physical and mathematical modelling techniques to help predict the effects of any changes; • use appropriate and proven design criteria.
Project Management During construction and later operation of these structures the Coastal Engineer is responsible for: • the quality of the construction; • the management of the contracts; Scale models of • maintenance and the long term effects of the construction. coastal structures The mobile, shallow and dangerous are tested in the bar of the Nerang River entrance Research wave flume. on the Gold Coast before the major Coastal Engineers are deeply involved in research into the entrance training walls were built. nature of the coastal processes that are occurring. They investigate the long term effects of phenomena such as the Greenhouse Effect and possible sea level rise. They are developing new technologies using measurement techniques such as advanced remote sensing to improve our knowledge of the coastal environment.
Coastal Management Coastal Engineers are responsible for providing the community with the scientific principles that underlie sustainable coastal management. They are technical leaders in the management of the coastal zone.