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breakwater |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Acronyms, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.01 sec. |
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breakwater, offshore structure to protect a harbor from wave energy or deflect currents. When it also serves as a pier, it is called a quay; when covered by a roadway it is called a mole. In the United States a breakwater commonly consists of a long mound of stone rubble and of cheaper materials like rubber tires and oil drums. The flow of waves up its slope, and the formation of swirls by its rough surface dissipate wave energy. A pneumatic breakwater consists of perforated pipes discharging air bubbles; another type has underwater pipes that direct streams of water against approaching waves to cause them to break. Breakwaters are also used to promote sedimentation, which, depending on the breakwater's alignment, will infill to produce a stable beach. The Chesapeake breakwater was the first built in the United States. See coast protection coast protection, methods used to protect coastal lands from erosion. Beaches can exist only where a delicate dynamic equilibrium exists between the amount of sand supplied to the beach and the inevitable losses caused by wave erosion. ..... Click the link for more information. . breakwater 1. a massive wall built out into the sea to protect a shore or harbour from the force of waves 2. another name for groyne breakwater [′brāk‚wȯd·ər] (civil engineering) A wall built into the sea to protect a shore area, harbor, anchorage, or basin from the action of waves. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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| But it does seem a queer thing," he added, with a bitter smile, "that I who have a fair claim to nigh upon half a million of money should spend the first half of my life building a breakwater in the Andamans, and am like to spend the other half digging drains at Dartmoor. On the other hand, I do not believe that any line of coast, ten or twenty miles in length, ever suffers degradation at the same time along its whole indented length; and we must remember that almost all strata contain harder layers or nodules, which from long resisting attrition form a breakwater at the base. The clamour of Benares, oldest of all earth's cities awake before the Gods, day and night, beat round the walls as the sea's roar round a breakwater. |
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