Evolution of joint probability methods in coastal engineering practice in the UK

Abstract

This paper outlines the evolution of joint probability methods in the design and assessment of sea defence structures in the UK, together with the key drivers for these different methods. It highlights why and how the joint exceedance curve techniques were developed initially from the late 1980s and early 1990s, as well as the reasons for the later development of the Join-Sea software system in the mid-1990s, as well as more recently, the implementation of more robust multivariate statistical approaches. The differences between these techniques are outlined, as well as potential errors accounting for how these different techniques are applied to assess different sea defence response functions.