Reliability and Probabilistic Methods in Coastal and Hydraulic Engineering sets out the methods which are increasingly being required by Government Agencies for river and sea defence design and flood defence system management. It highlights the major concepts developed during the last two decades for describing uncertainty in the performance of flood and erosion defences. It begins with an introduction to the key statistical concepts required for the implementation of a reliability analysis: both the analytical and the numerical methods used in this are described with worked examples. Example applications of the methods are given to illustrate the advantages and limitations of the different techniques, together with case studies drawn from the author's experience of academia and consultancy.This book is based on material provided to final year undergraduates and MSc students on flood and coastal defence design at the University of Plymouth. It brings together in one book material that is currently spread across many sources which are not easy for the non-expert to access, and so provides coastal and hydraulic engineers with an accessible entry to the important area of reliability analysis and thence onto the cutting-edge scientific literature on specific topics. It may also serve as a helpful source of information for consultants, practitioners and academics seeking to familiarise themselves with the concepts of reliability theory.