Coastal Engineering
Natural coastal hazards along the Great Lakes affect municipalities, homeowners and businesses. As the demands of coastal development and investment continue to increase, so do the possibilities for increased loss of valuable property, habitat and life. Sound coastal engineering information on coastal erosion, waves, rip currents, changing water levels, flooding potentials, bluff instability and shoreline best-management practices are all needed. Wisconsin Sea Grant meets that need.


Guiding Principles on Coastal Engineering

Guiding Principles on Coastal Engineering
Wisconsin Sea Grant offers nonbiased, science-based technical assistance to address coastal engineering challenges. Learn more about the program's guiding principle. Read more...


Coastal Processes

Waves and Nearshore Currents
Different types of waves and currents mean different things along a shoreline. Learn more, and learn how these waves and currents form. Read more...


Storm Surges, Seiches and Edge Waves
There are temporary rises in water levels that can cause flooding and shore damage. There are two main types: storm surges and seiches (say-chez, or say-shes). A rare third type is an edge wave. Read more...


Climate Change Models
Models about climate change predict adjustments in Great Lakes water levels. Read more...


Great Lakes Hydrologic Model Response To Global Circulation Models
Explanation for the predictions of water level changes that are based on models. Read more...


Great Lakes Storm of 2001 - Lake Superior
Details on a powerful November 2001 storm. Read more...


Coastal Hazards

Coastal Erosion
Coastal erosion is a natural process. The land contributes coarse sediments of sand and gravel to re-supply beaches that have lost material alongshore to other locations, or offshore to lakebed depths beyond the reach of storm waves. The land contributes fine sediments that move offshore to settle in the deep basins. Read more...


Coastal Bluff Failure
Coastal bluff failure is a serious issue on the Great Lakes. The most significant mechanisms: wave erosion, lakebed erosion and rainfall. Read more...


Coastal Flooding
High water level periods on the Great Lakes tend to be more prolonged than such periods on rivers and smaller lakes. Read more...


Lakebed Erosion
Lakebed erosion seems to be a continuous process, even though major storms probably cause a lot of the erosion. Even during low water level years and times of small wave conditions, the abrasion goes on. Significant lakebed erosion occurs from the shoreline out to water depths of roughly 34 feet. Read more...


Lake Levels

Lake Superior
Charts that show the average annual water levels of Lake Superior recorded since 1860. Read more...


Lake Michigan & Lake Huron
Charts that show the average annual water levels of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron recorded since 1860. Read more...


Lake Erie
Charts that show the average annual water levels of Lake Erie recorded since 1860. Read more...


Lake Ontario
Charts that show the average annual water levels of Lake Ontario recorded since 1860. Read more...


Minimum/Maximum Levels
Tables that display the minimum and maximum water levels recorded for each of the Great Lakes. Read more...


Rip Currents

Rip Current Process
Rip currents are generally narrow but can be dangerous to swimmers. There are specific conditions under which they can occur. Read more...


Coastal Construction Setbacks

Construction Setbacks - An Introduction
Construction along coastal land means paying attention to many factors, including setbacks. Read more...


Minimum Setback Distance
Read more...


Videos

Increasing Safety at Sea Caves
The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore has become a world-class destination for sea kayaking, but some of the most popular attractions can also be treacherous. Under certain conditions, the sea caves can quickly change from awe-inspiring to terrifying. A new Sea Grant system improves safety.

UW Sea Grant researchers, with funding from other sources as well, have developed a website that aggregates wave conditions in Lake Superior in and around the Apostle Islands sea caves. Visit seacaveswatch.org.

Read more...


Engineering Students Dive into Field Work
Wisconsin Sea Grant Coastal Engineering Specialist Gene Clark describes slope stability, erosion and other coastal issues as students learn to deploy and operate instruments. Civil and Environmental Engineering Prof. Chin Wu conducted the class, called "Exploration and Investigation of Coastal Processes in the Great Lakes and Inland Lakes." Read more...


Coastal Solutions

Construction Setbacks
Selection of a setback distance from a coastal bluff or bank is one of the most important decisions a homeowner or builder can make when building a coastal home. Read more...


Shore Protection Structures
Explore a list of past and present guides to designing and building shore protection structures on the Great Lakes and other coastal shores. Read more...


Infiltration Intakes
Great Lakes water infiltration intakes are a vital part of coastal water-supply infrastructure. Low lake levels and biological invasive species such as zebra and quagga mussels have created many problems with their design use capacity. Read more...


Related Publications

Deciding About Sediment Remediation: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Decisions
This book is for people who make or influence decisions about sediment remediation. It describes a step-by-step sequence of decisions to determine whether, and how, to clean up contaminated sediments, or to let natural recovery occur. Read more...


Living on the Coast: Protecting Investments in Shore Property on the Great Lakes
If you own or plan to buy Great Lakes coastal property, or you are involved in coastal planning or development, this full-color 50-page booklet will help you make informed decisions. Read more...


Coastal Processes Manual
This manual provides step-by-step instructions on how to estimate risk to Great Lakes coastal property from extreme lake levels, storms and erosion. Read more...


Estimating Economic Benefits of Cleaning Up Contaminated Sediments in Great Lakes Areas of Concern
This report describes a two-stage approach to estimating the value the public places on large-scale sediment remediation projects and comparing that value to the estimated costs of the projects. Read more...


Related Websites

Wisconsin's Water Library
Established in 1964 by the UW Water Resources Institute, Wisconsin's Water Library (formerly known as the Water Resources Library) is unique among UW-Madison's many libraries for its collection of almost 30,000 volumes of water-related information about the Great Lakes and the waters of Wisconsin. The library includes a curriculum collection, dozens of educational videos, a children's collection, and more than 20 journals and 100 newsletters. Read more...

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