The Need for Integration across Coastal Disciplines

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The Need for Integration across Coastal
Disciplines

• J. W. Kamphuis
• Queens University
• Kingston, ON, Canada
• K7L 3N6
• kamphuis_at_civil.queensu.ca

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Or for this meeting The Need for
Transdisciplinarity in Coastal Management and
Research to Solve Coastal Problems(SciSA
Rathenau, 2006)
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• W5
• Who ?
• What ?
• Why ?
• Where ?
• When ?

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• Who are we ?
• What do we do ?
• Why do we need this meeting ?
• Where should we go ?
• When should we do this ?

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Who ? (are we) ?
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Setting the stage
In the Beginning
God(s)
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Reaction (pre 1650)
Setting the stage
Useful, but Caricature !
?
?
Opinion (Unproven)
Fact (Proven)
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Then ?
Setting the stage
Natural Philosophy, Knowledge, Demon-strative Scie
nce
?
God Religion Culture Society Literary Political
Opinion
Fact
Example
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1650
Setting the stage
Natural Philosophy, Knowledge, Demon-strative Scie
nce
God Religion Culture Society Literary Political
Opinion
Fact
Probably
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Actually
Setting the stage
Science and Techno-logy
Culture Social Literary Political
Culture Social Literary Political
Science
(not so pure, e.g. Uncertain-ties)
(not so pure, e.g. needs research)
(pure)
(pure)
Ideal
Ideal
Real Life
Muddling Through
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Coastal
Definitions

• Interdisciplinary
• Interaction of (for example)
• Wind (waves and surge)
• Waves (long and short)
• Water (flow, quality)
• Sediment (transport, morphology)
• Life (animal, plant and human)

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Coastal Science
Definitions

• Interdisciplinary (Multi?)
• Draws on basic sciences (Physics, Chemistry,
  Geology, Biology and others) and applies them to
  the coastal zone

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Coastal Engineering
Definitions

• Applies science to design
• Therefore interdisciplinary (Multi, Trans?)
• Must be licensed in Canada, therefore quite
  distinct from Science
• Where theres no licensing distinction is not
  so definite
• Distinction Is it analysis or synthesis?

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Definitions
Coastal Engineering

• Traditionally engineering was design and
  construction.
• Now, much of engineering is study
• Studies are not necessarily engineering
• Much engineering is now science because
  publication and funding is judged by
  science-related criteria

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Coastal Management
Definitions

• Policy
• Strategic Planning
• Coastal hazards and risks
• Integrated Coastal Zone Management (discussed
  later)

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What ? (do we do) ?
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Early Years
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Early years

• One prominent partner (govt, business)
• Safety and military
• Design, construction ? Engineering
• Engineer was project manager
• Communication was simple
• Science (physics, hydrodynamics) were used to
  augment ad hoc engineering practices

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Early Decision Making
Early years
(Ad hoc)
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Later Years
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Later years

• No longer safety and military only
• Quality of life, sustainability, environment,
  impacts
• Much more than physical, e.g. social, legal
• Application of sciences such as physics,
  chemistry, biology, geology to the coast (no
  longer ad hoc)
• Needs interdisciplinary coastal scientists

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Later years

• Also non-science, non-engineering issues
• Recreation, tourism
• Fishing and seafood industries
• New sociological realities
• Stakeholders
• Interest groups
• Enter Need for Integrated Coastal Management

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Contemporary Decision Making
Later years
Regulation
Government
Coastal Managers
Coastal Issue
Law
Coastal Engineers
Decision Makers
Sciences
Physics
Coastal Scientists
Problem Formulation
Chemistry
Theoretical and Empirical Relationships
Biology
Alternatives
Geology
Others
Modelling (uncertainties)
Approvals
Public
Implementation
Judgment
Governments
Non-Govt Orgs
Monitoring
Solution
Interest Groups
Socio-Economic Input from Stakeholders
Citizens
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Later years
Comments

• Coastal Problems are
• Complex, involving sciences, engineering and
  socio-economic parameters
• Badly structured, organizationally as well as
  technically
• Techniques and solutions contain large
  uncertainties
• Solutions need to be based on hard data and
  judgment

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Later years
Contemporary Decision Making

• Calls for Transdisciplinary approach
• Science and stakeholders ?
• Theory Models Judgment ?
• Law and biology ?
• Engineers and approval ?

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Integrated Coastal Management
Later years

• Integration
• All social and technical requirements
• Facilitate an optimum solution
• Communication
• Particularly from decision makers and
  socio-economic framework to technical people and
  v.v.
• Translation politico-social to technical v.v.
• Needs wide knowledge of languages and cultures

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Socio-Economic Framework
Later years

• Government
• Elected politicians (representation)
• Civil service (careers, inertia, regulations,
  change)
• Supreme court (process)
• Policy, priorities and legislation
• People
• Voters (fickle, changing)
• Stakeholders (biased)
• Clients (visitors, boat owners, facility
  operators)

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Why ? (do we need this meeting) ?
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Three Basic Entities
The present
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Note !!
The present

• These are MY impressions of what we think of
  ourselves
• They are caricatures
• First as I perceive the Canadian (American, UK)
  scene
• Then as I perceive the Dutch Scene

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Canada
The present
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Canada
CE
Pure
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Canada
Socio-Economic Framework
?
?
?
?
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Canada
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Unfortunately
Canada

• Coastal Scientists
• Are (at best) only slightly purer than
  engineering and management
• Have been destructive by not quite being able to
  respect other disciplines

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Canada
Unfortunately

• Coastal Managers
• New (No track record or common experience)
• Neither a discipline nor a profession
• Have had little training in relevant integration
  and communication skills
• Usually just moved over from another discipline
  (e.g. engineering, social sciences)
• No Standard of Care comparable to scientists
  (peer review) and/or engineers (legislation)

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Canada
Unfortunately

• Coastal Engineers
• Have not wanted to give up their much larger
  management role of the past
• Do not work well with their partners within
  present approval process
• Lost public trust because of
• Mistakes in the past
• Shoddy work (often resulting from underbidding)
• Poorly (or not) explaining uncertainties

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Netherlands
The present
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Netherlands
CS
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Netherlands
Socio-Economic Framework
?
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Where ? (should we go) ?
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Socio-Economic Parameters
Transdisciplinary Framework ??
Basic Sciences
Stakeholders
Equal Importance Mutual Respect
Design Build
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• Coastal Engineering in the Netherlands has a long
  and very strong tradition.
• No doubt its dominant position within the Dutch
  socio-economic framework will be encroached upon
  in the future by Coastal Science and Management.

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• You will need to build on the strengths of
  Coastal Engineering and increase the strengths in
  other coastal professions so that co-operation on
  transdisciplinary coastal problems becomes
  possible through relatively equal partners.

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• Coastal Science is growing and should be
  encouraged (both the science taught at
  engineering schools and at universities)
• Greater integration of social sciences, policy
  studies, public administration and possibly
  humanities with coastal science and engineering
  should be encouraged in the training of coastal
  managers.

Technical University is a misnomer !
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Conclusions
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Conclusions

• Early days Coastal work was done by a
  generalist with relevant skills,
• Evolved into engineers because projects were
  design and construct,
• As complexity increased three specific lines of
  professional work developed
• Science
• Engineering
• Management

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Conclusions

• For success, these three communities must
• Have relatively equal stature
• Work seamlessly together
• Communicate well in all directions
• Have mutual respect for each other

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Conclusions

• Interdisciplinary learned society, (that goes
  beyond the discipline-oriented societies) will
  help to
• Connect,
• Exchange ideas,
• Sharpen wits.

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Conclusions

• CC-SEA (Canadian Coastal Science and Engineering
  Association)
• Needed because we are a (very) large country, so
  we do not see each other at other times - not
  quite the same here,
• Needed because we tend to publish in recognised
  (discipline oriented) journals (e.g. AGU,
  Coastal Eng) same here
• Needed because CC-SEA conference proceedings are
  the only outlet for specifically Canadian papers
  same here.

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Fill in the Blanks
Come back to this
CC-SEA
NCK ?
Twente, RWS ?
Utrecht, Twente, Delft, TNO ?
Delft, RWS, Industry, Waterfront, VBKO ?
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Conclusions

• But a learned society is not enough.
• In a postmodern world
• There are multiple (valid) points of view
  technical, environmental, social, legal
• Multiple inputs stakeholders
• There are no single answers, just optimum
  solutions
• Therefore Transdisciplinarity must be broader
  than a simple learned society (or simple exchange
  about technical niceties).

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Transdiciplinarity
Learned Society
Trandisciplinary Framework
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Final Caution

• Coastal engineering is well-developed in
  Netherlands. (World leader ?).
• Do not sacrifice this great and historical
  expertise on holistic altars such as
  transdisciplinarity, integrated coastal
  management and Delta Institutes.
• Develop the other related professions such as
  science and management, so they become equals.

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When ? (should we do this) ?
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Now !
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The paper is posted onwww.civil.queensu.cagoogl
e kamphuis canada
Thank You