Coastal Engineering

Dr Sleath's research is concerned with the movement of sand by water waves. When applied to coastal engineering, this research has obvious importance in understanding the erosion of the East Coast of Britain where large areas are crumbling into the sea. It is also relevant to such problems as those caused by changes in sea level due to global warming and the environmental consequences of this effect. Sea defences have to be built and maintained, and an understanding of the processes involved can lead to the most effective strategies being employed.

These problems occur the world over, as do similar problems of the silting up of ports and the erosion of beaches. Solutions can often be found to these problems, which are usually caused by inappropriate construction.

A less obvious effect of sand movement is the problem it causes for offshore pipelines. Wave movements can produce a scouring action giving rise to craters of the order of ten metres deep and a hundred metres wide in the ocean floor around the pipes. This type of erosion is carefully monitored by the oil companies and the hazard dealt with as it arises. At the moment this requires the dumping of large quantities of gravel as infill to the craters. More effective measures such as the use of novel flexible mattresses and artificial sea weed are being investigated to overcome the problem. "The movement of sand by direct currents are relatively well understood, whereas there is still a lot to be understood about movements caused by the oscillatory motion of waves. That's what makes this such an interesting area to be researching into," comments Dr Sleath. Research combines experimental observation with computer modelling.

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