Environmental statements and their impact on engineering design in the coastal zone

Near and offshore installations now require environmental statements before construction. Design, therefore, must involve ecological strategy, with an interdisciplinary approach to engineering problems. Physical properties of materials are no longer a prime responsibility in planning and constructing marine structures. Thought must be given as to the effects that materials have on life and habitat. Only through baseline studies, past and present, with predictive systems approach to ecology can realistic appraisals be given to the effects that structural, electrical, and chemical components of marine structures have on their surroundings. Components affecting marine life and their habitats are: stray voltages, slag from welding, chemical waste treatment facilities, corrosion-prone materials (especially those susceptible to bacterial actions and resultant gases), and any components which increase turbidity, either through particulate matter or increased surface biological productivity.