Geo Tubes for Coastal Erosion and Shoreline Protection

Ocean Geosynthetics makes Geo Tubes, large geotextile containers filled with sand slurry, which are used for coastal erosion control and shoreline protection. This post covers why coastlines erode and how geo tubes are used to protect them.

What is Coastal Erosion?

Coastal erosion is the loss of land along the shore as waves, currents and tides remove sand and sediment. Global sea level has been rising for many decades, and faster in recent decades because of human-driven global warming. Together with construction close to the coast, storms and high tides, this has caused land loss, damaged infrastructure and put coastal communities at risk. In some places erosion has forced whole communities to relocate.

What are the reasons for Coastal Erosion?

The shores of oceans, rivers and lakes all face natural and human pressures that change their shape. As sea level rises, the shoreline retreats and sediment is removed or displaced, so coastal land is lost. Erosion can be sudden, in a single storm, or slow over years. On coastal slopes and cliffs, heavy rain also saturates the soil, lowers its shear strength and raises the chance of slope failures and landslides.

Waves and currents drive most erosion. Storms, storm surge, high tides and flooding add to it, and so do human activities such as sand mining, harbour works that block the natural movement of sand along the coast, and building on dunes. Erosion is mostly a natural process, and many coastal landforms go through fairly regular cycles of accretion and erosion.

Holding a retreating shore starts with working out why it is retreating. Our guide to techniques for protecting and stabilising a shoreline compares soft, hard and geosynthetic methods, from beach nourishment and groynes to geotextile tubes and geobags.

Mitigating Coastal Erosion and Achieving Shoreline Protection with Ocean Geosynthetics Geotextile Tubes:

Geotextile tubes, or geotubes, are now an established option for shoreline protection alongside rock and concrete. With a properly engineered design, they are an efficient way to protect shorelines.

Ocean Geosynthetics manufactures geotubes in India for coastal and marine works. A geo tube is a tubular structure made from engineered geotextile, with filling ports at regular intervals. It is filled with a slurry of sand and water and laid parallel to the shore, usually on a geotextile scour apron or in a shallow trench, to control erosion and reduce damage from waves.

Water drains out through the permeable geotextile while the sand settles inside, forming one large, continuous, heavy unit. Geo tubes built this way are used for shoreline protection, land reclamation and consolidation of soft soils.

Ocean Geosynthetics makes geo tubes from engineered woven or composite geotextiles, in tensile strengths matched to the application. The fabric resists biological degradation and UV, and strong seams and mechanical strength let the tubes withstand filling pressure and wave action. Compared with rock structures, geo tubes usually cost less, especially where rock has to be transported a long way. For an example, see Ocean’s beach protection project in the Maldives.

Ocean Geosynthetics supplies geo tubes for shoreline protection, erosion control and other marine works. Our team can help match the tube size and fabric to your project and budget.