Applications of Headland Control

Abstract

Crenulate‐shaped bays are ubiquitous, with a large spectrum of sizes on coasts, enclosed seas, lakes, and rivers. They exist where waves arrive persistently from an oblique direction to the general coast. They thus indicate to man nature's way of maintaining beaches that are in dynamic or static equilibrium. This phenomenon can be utilized to retain beaches in locations where erosion was previously encountered. Such a process has been termed “headland control.” It is applicable to any shapes of coastline, be it straight, bayed, or convex. The headlands can be designed to minimize the effect of storm waves on them. It must be accepted that such waves will still remove the beach berm almost annually to form an offshore bar that affords protection to facilities landward of it. Their direction of arrival dictates the volume of material so demanded, which can vary around the periphery of a bay.