ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the methods used to evaluate the physical conditions of a reef and its surrounding aquatic environment. The second section presents the primary objectives and defines the “physical characteristics” and “engineering” of reef studies. Section three explains why largescale as well as local physical variables should be measured at reef sites. In the fourth section, engineering aspects of reef studies are presented in terms of siting considerations, reef stability, effects of physical processes on reef performance, and the effects of the created reef on the environment. The fifth section discusses the three different types of information that need to be gathered in reef studies in order to answer questions of increasing complexity. In the sixth section, assessment methods of the most important physical variables are presented. The seventh section provides several examples of reef monitoring studies. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future reef studies.
