View source for Detached breakwater

{{Definition|title= Detached breakwater
|definition= A detached breakwater is a structure parallel, or close to parallel, to the coast, build inside or outside the surf zone. Detached breakwaters are mainly built with two purposes, either to protect a ship wharf from wave action or as a coast/shore protection measure. 
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==Notes==
Detached breakwaters partly provide shelter in their lee thus protecting the coast and decreasing the littoral transport between the structure and the shoreline. This decrease of transport results in trapping of sand in the lee zone and some distance upstream. Breakwaters can also deviate from the straight and shore-parallel layout, they can be emerged and submerged, and they can be single or in groups, the so-called segmented breakwaters.Other types of breakwaters are e.g. submerged or low-crested breakwaters, [[floating breakwaters]], modified breakwaters or [[Definitions of coastal terms#Headland|headlands]]. See also [[Application of breakwaters]].

== See also ==
* [[Detached breakwaters]]: Function, design, impacts and application of detached breakwaters.
* [[Detached shore parallel breakwaters]]: On erosion and the design, application and effects of detached shore parallel breakwaters.
* [[Applicability of detached breakwaters]]: Application of detached breakwaters for different types of coast (see also [[classification of sandy coastlines]]).
* [[Port breakwaters and coastal erosion]]: Effects of breakwaters from different types of ports on coastal erosion.