Various types of engineering

The various types of engineering can be classified into two categories:
1. Hard Engineering
2. Soft Engineering


Hard Engineering
Consists of breakwaters:

Functions of Breakwaters:
Positive impact
They are usually made of granite and creates a zone of shallow water between itself and the coast so that waves will break against it before reaching the coast. Also, they can last up to 30 years.
Negative impact
Materials behind the breakwater are protected but the zone located away from the breakwater is not.
Moreover, installation of breakwater is costly.

Soft Engineering
Consists of Beach Nourishment:

Functions of Beach Nourishment
Beach nourishment involves the adding of large amounts of sand to a coast that is being eroded.
Positive impacts
Nourishment restores and widens the recreational beach.
Structures behind the beach are protected as long as the added sand remains.
When erosion occurs, beach nourishment does not leave remnants of hazardous content. This is a big advantage compared to other measures.
Negative impacts
Beach nourishment sand often erodes faster than the natural sand on the beach.
Beach nourishment is expensive and has to be rebuilt periodically.
In the process of nourishment, the lives of the marine species, including their habitat, may be thwarted due to the various construction processes the beach has to undergo.

Credits: 
Breakwaters: http://www.slideshare.net/chua.geog/sec-3-na-coastal-protection-measures-presentation
Beach nourishment: http://www.brynmawr.edu/geology/geomorph/beachnourishmentinfo.html