Coastal Engineering: Past, Present and Future

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Topic explores the evolution of coastal engineering, from foundational practices to the latest technological advancements and future challenges. It aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the discipline, highlighting historical developments, current innovations, and emerging trends. The areas of interest of this Topic include the design and maintenance of coastal infrastructure, nature-based solutions, climate change adaptation, and advances in numerical modeling and remote sensing technologies. By reflecting on the past and evaluating present strategies, this Topic will identify pathways for future research, addressing the growing need for sustainable and resilient approaches in coastal engineering. Contributions from researchers and practitioners worldwide will showcase a holistic view of the field's progress and its role in tackling global challenges.

Dr. M. Dolores Esteban
Dr. José-Santos López-Gutiérrez
Dr. Vicente Negro
Dr. Maria Graça Neves
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Applied Sciences applsci	2.5	5.5	2011	16 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering jmse	2.8	5.0	2013	16.5 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Oceans oceans	1.6	3.5	2020	35 Days	CHF 1600	Submit
Water water	3.0	6.0	2009	18.9 Days	CHF 2600	Submit

Preprints.org is a multidisciplinary platform offering a preprint service designed to facilitate the early sharing of your research. It supports and empowers your research journey from the very beginning.

MDPI Topics is collaborating with Preprints.org and has established a direct connection between MDPI journals and the platform. Authors are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity by posting their preprints at Preprints.org prior to publication:

1. Share your research immediately: disseminate your ideas prior to publication and establish priority for your work.
2. Safeguard your intellectual contribution: Protect your ideas with a time-stamped preprint that serves as proof of your research timeline.
3. Boost visibility and impact: Increase the reach and influence of your research by making it accessible to a global audience.
4. Gain early feedback: Receive valuable input and insights from peers before submitting to a journal.
5. Ensure broad indexing: Web of Science (Preprint Citation Index), Google Scholar, Crossref, SHARE, PrePubMed, Scilit and Europe PMC.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Order results

Content type Publication Date

Result details

Normal Extended Compact

Journals

All Applied Sciences JMSE Oceans Water

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Plain Text BibTeX BibTeX (without abstracts) Endnote Endnote (without abstracts) Tab-delimited RIS

Error

Oops... you haven't selected anything for export.

Ok

clear

attachment

Supplementary material:
Supplementary File 1 (ZIP, 354 KB)

26 pages, 6567 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Physical Coastal Vulnerability Assessment of the Monrovia Coastline (Liberia) Using a Multi-Parameter Coastal Vulnerability Index

by Titus Karderic Williams, Youssef Fannassi, Zhour Ennouali, Abdelahq Aangri, Tarik Belrhaba, Isaac Tukpah, Aıcha Benmohammadi and Ali Masria

Oceans 2026, 7(2), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans7020033 - 7 Apr 2026

Abstract

This study presents a city-scale physical coastal vulnerability assessment of the 21 km Monrovia coastline (Liberia) using a multi-parameter coastal vulnerability index (CVI). Nine physical parameters—geology/geomorphology, shoreline change rate, elevation, slope, bathymetry, wave height, tidal range, relative sea level rise, and coastal landform [...] Read more.

This study presents a city-scale physical coastal vulnerability assessment of the 21 km Monrovia coastline (Liberia) using a multi-parameter coastal vulnerability index (CVI). Nine physical parameters—geology/geomorphology, shoreline change rate, elevation, slope, bathymetry, wave height, tidal range, relative sea level rise, and coastal landform characteristics—were integrated within an equal-weight ranking framework. The results identify spatially concentrated high vulnerability segments associated with low elevation, sandy geomorphology, and persistent shoreline retreat. The CVI represents a relative exposure screening rather than a predictive risk model. Limitations related to parameter weighting, classification dependency, and temporal heterogeneity are acknowledged. The findings support preliminary spatial prioritization for coastal adaptation planning Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Coastal Engineering: Past, Present and Future)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

attachment

Supplementary material:
Supplementary File 1 (ZIP, 238 KB)

24 pages, 3507 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Long-Term Variability and Trends in Extreme Wave Climate Along the Bay of Biscay

by Manuel Viñes, César Mösso, Felícitas Calderón-Vega, Benjamí Calvillo, Marc Mestres and Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14(7), 646; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14070646 - 31 Mar 2026

Viewed by 306

Abstract

Detecting long-term changes in extreme wave climate is essential for coastal engineering and hazard assessment, yet robust trend identification remains challenging due to strong natural variability and limited observational records. This study evaluates the robustness of trend detection in wave conditions along the [...] Read more.

Detecting long-term changes in extreme wave climate is essential for coastal engineering and hazard assessment, yet robust trend identification remains challenging due to strong natural variability and limited observational records. This study evaluates the robustness of trend detection in wave conditions along the Bay of Biscay using in situ measurements for a direct comparison with atmospheric climate indices such as North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), East Atlantic pattern (EA), and El Niño-Southern Oscillation index (ENSO). A 32-year-long deep-water buoy record of wave parameters (1990–2022) is first analyzed and systematically compared with a nearby and shorter record (2007–2018) to quantify the influence of record length on extreme value estimates and trend inference. Extreme events are identified using a peak-over-threshold approach, and trends in significant wave height (H_S), peak period (T_P), wave steepness (S), and storm-related metrics are assessed through non-parametric methods. No statistically significant long-term trend is detected in the monthly averaged H_S. In contrast, significant increases are found in storm frequency and storm wave power, together with a decreasing trend in T_P and increasing wave steepness, indicating changes in storminess rather than in wave height alone. The shorter record exhibits substantially wider confidence intervals in return levels and inconsistent trend signals, highlighting the structural sensitivity of statistics to temporal coverage. Additionally, correlation analysis with large-scale atmospheric indices reveals that wave-parameters variability is more closely associated with the EA pattern than with the NAO or the ENSO, although the overall explained variance remains limited. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Coastal Engineering: Past, Present and Future)

►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

19 pages, 7109 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Development of a Coastal Erosion Monitoring Plan Using In Situ Measurements and Satellite Images

by Víctor Castro-Quintero, Moisés Lima-Delgado and Gisselle Guerra-Chanis

Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(23), 12769; https://doi.org/10.3390/app152312769 - 2 Dec 2025

Viewed by 940

Abstract

Coastal erosion affects nearly 70% of global beaches, threatening ecosystems and socio-economic development. This study proposes a monitoring framework integrating Differential GNSS RTK, RPA photogrammetry with PPK, and high-resolution satellite imagery to evaluate shoreline change and beach profiles along Panama’s Pacific coast. Short-term [...] Read more.

Coastal erosion affects nearly 70% of global beaches, threatening ecosystems and socio-economic development. This study proposes a monitoring framework integrating Differential GNSS RTK, RPA photogrammetry with PPK, and high-resolution satellite imagery to evaluate shoreline change and beach profiles along Panama’s Pacific coast. Short-term (3–5 months) and long-term (13 years) analyses were conducted using DSAS metrics—End Point Rate (EPR) and Net Shoreline Movement (NSM)—to quantify erosion trends. Results show Differential GNSS provides superior accuracy for sandy beach profiling, while RPA photogrammetry is effective in complex terrains such as rocky-bottom beaches. Combining RPA and satellite imagery enhances long-term shoreline monitoring. The proposed plan offers a scalable, cost-effective approach for coastal management, supporting evidence-based policy, land-use planning, and disaster risk reduction, while serving as a methodological reference for future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Coastal Engineering: Past, Present and Future)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

25 pages, 27520 KB  

Open AccessArticle

RAFS-Net: A Robust Adversarial Fusion Framework for Enhanced Maritime Surveillance in Hostile Environments

by Jiawen Li, Jiahua Sun, Qiqi Shi and Molin Sun

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(11), 2195; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13112195 - 18 Nov 2025

Viewed by 671

Abstract

Deep learning-based intelligent ship surveillance technology has become an indispensable component of modern maritime intelligent perception, with its adversarial defense capabilities serving as a crucial guarantee for reliable and stable monitoring. However, current research on deep learning-based ship surveillance primarily focuses on minimizing [...] Read more.

Deep learning-based intelligent ship surveillance technology has become an indispensable component of modern maritime intelligent perception, with its adversarial defense capabilities serving as a crucial guarantee for reliable and stable monitoring. However, current research on deep learning-based ship surveillance primarily focuses on minimizing the discrepancy between predicted labels and ground truth labels, overlooking the equal importance of enhancing defense capabilities in the adversarial technology-laden maritime environment. To address this challenge and improve model robustness and stability, this study proposes a novel framework termed the Robust Adversarial Fusion Surveillance Net Framework (RAFS-Net). Utilizing ResNet as the backbone network foundation, the framework constructs a ship adversarial attack chain through an adversarial generation module. An adversarial training module enables the model to comprehensively learn adversarial perturbation features. These dual modules effectively rectify abnormal decision boundaries via a synergistic mechanism, compelling the model to learn robust feature representations resilient to malicious interference. Experimental results demonstrate that the framework maintains stable and efficient detection capabilities even in marine environments saturated with interfering information. By systematically integrating gradient-driven adversarial sample generation and an end-to-end training mechanism, it achieves a performance breakthrough of 9.1% in mean Average Precision (mAP) on the ship adversarial benchmark dataset, providing technical support for maritime surveillance models in complex adversarial environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Coastal Engineering: Past, Present and Future)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 6924 KB  

Open AccessArticle

The Dynamic Response of a Coral Sand Site–Underground Structure System Under Multidimensional Seismic Excitation

by Zixuan Yang, Xiaorui Xie and Wei Ren

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(8), 1596; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13081596 - 21 Aug 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 788

Abstract

Seismic response analysis of underground structures at coral sand sites is a critical component in ensuring the structural safety of island reef engineering. Current experimental studies in this field have primarily focused on unidirectional seismic excitation. To investigate the seismic response differences under [...] Read more.

Seismic response analysis of underground structures at coral sand sites is a critical component in ensuring the structural safety of island reef engineering. Current experimental studies in this field have primarily focused on unidirectional seismic excitation. To investigate the seismic response differences under multidirectional seismic loading, this study designed a series of shaking table tests under unidirectional, bidirectional, and triaxial loading schemes. The seismic responses of underground structures and coral sand foundations were compared under different loading conditions, including boundary effects, ground and structural accelerations, Fourier spectra, and structural strains. The results indicate that the soil–structure system exhibits responses in the non-excitation directions during the shaking table tests. Compared to the excitation direction, boundary effects are more pronounced in the non-excitation directions, with vibrations in these directions primarily concentrated in the high-frequency range (16–20 Hz). The ground acceleration amplification factors in the X-, Y-, and Z-directions in different loading directions are 0.9–1.3, 1.4–2, and 3.4–3.7, respectively, showing significant differences. Under triaxial loading, the peak strain in the underground structure is significantly higher than that under unidirectional loading. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Coastal Engineering: Past, Present and Future)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Plain Text BibTeX BibTeX (without abstracts) Endnote Endnote (without abstracts) Tab-delimited RIS

 

Error

Oops... you haven't selected anything for export.

Ok

clear

Displaying articles 1-5