Coastal engineers apply basic engineering principles to the analysis, design, construction and management of systems that operate in the coastal environment. Coastal engineering is a hybrid technical area utilizing techniques from many branches of engineering. Typical coastal engineering application areas include: beach protection and nourishment, coastal structures, coastal erosion, nearshore circulation, marine renewable energy (wind, wave, and tide), natural hazard impacts on coastal infrastructure, development of water resources, instrumentation for coastal and offshore measurements, marine dredging and dredged material placement, ports and harbors and suspended and dissolved constituent transport.
Some of Our Research Specialties
- Hydrodynamics, Turbulence & Sediment Transport
- Dredging Technology
- Beach Nourishment
- Coastal Structures
- Hydromechanics
- Wave Dynamics
- Fluid-Structure Interaction
- Remote Sensing
Area faculty and researchers
Kuang-An Chang
- Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering and Ocean Engineering
- Office: DLEB 304B
- Phone: 979-845-4504
- Email: kchang@civil.tamu.edu
James Kaihatu
- Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Division Head, Environmental, Water Resources, & Coastal Engineering
- Office: DLEB 304C
- Phone: 979-862-3511
- Email: jkaihatu@civil.tamu.edu
Richard Mercier
- Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Shell Director, Offshore Technology Research Center
- Office: DLEB 310C
- Phone: 979-845-6000
- Email: rsmercier@tamu.edu
Scott Socolofsky
- Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
- J. Walter “Deak” Porter ’22 and James W. “Bud” Porter ‘51 Chair
- Affiliated Faculty, Ocean Engineering
- Office: DLEB 309I
- Phone: 979-845-4517
- Email: socolofsky@tamu.edu
