definition

Revetments are sloping structures placed on banks or cliffs in such a way as to absorb the energy of incoming water. River or coastal revetments are usually built to preserve the existing uses of the shoreline and to protect the slope, as defense against erosion.
(Wikipedia, Revetment, accessed on Sept. 2016).
A revetment is a facing of stone, concrete units or slabs, etc., built to protect a scarp, the foot of a cliff or a dune, a dike or a seawall against erosion by wave action, storm surge and currents. This definition is very similar to the definition of a seawall, however a revetment does not protect against flooding. Furthermore, a revetment is often a supplement to other types of protection such as seawalls and dikes (Coastal Wiki, Revetment, accessed on Sept. 2016).
Revetments can also be made of rock/boulders, gabions, articulating mattresses, sand containers or bio-engineering. The bio-engineering approach of slope protection or erosion protection is a nature friendly revetment structure by Vetiver plantation. A combination of cohesive soil and Vetiver grass provides the best protection against erosion, which implies that it is highly suitable for banks in delta areas, which consist pre-dominantly of cohesive soil. As such, the bio-engineering approach revetment for slope protection or erosion protection can be considered as green measures.

Co-benefits and impacts

Some of its advantages are: protection of shorelines and banks against erosion, absorption of wave energy through the slats, effectiveness for many years and ow cost compared to other techniques, whereas revetments' disadvantages are their non-effectiveness in stormy conditions, they might make the beach inaccessible for tourists and be visually obtrusive
(GetRevising, Revetment (Hard Engineering, accessed on Sept. 2016).

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Last modified: Sept. 21, 2016, 8:53 a.m.