This monograph is an attempt to compile the present state of knowledge on ocean wave analysis and prediction. The emphasis of the monograph is on the development of ocean wave analysis and predic tion procedures and their utility for real-time operations and appli cations. Most of the material in the monograph is derived from journal articles, research reports and recent conference proceedings; some of the basic material is extracted from standard text books on physical oceanography and wind waves. Ocean wave analysis and prediction is becoming an important activity in the meteorological and oceanographic services of many countries. The present status of ocean wave prediction may be compar able to the status of numerical weather prediction of the mid-sixties and early seventies when a number of weather prediction models were developed for research purposes, many of which were later put into operational use by meteorological services of several countries. The increased emphasis on sea-state analysis and prediction has created a need for a ready reference material on various ocean wave analysis and modelling techniques and their utility. The present monograph is aimed at fulfilling this need. The monograph should prove useful to the ocean wave modelling community as well as to marine forecasters, coastal engineers and offshore technologists. The monograph could also be used for a senior undergraduate (or a first year graduate) level course in ocean wave modelling and marine meteorology.

Coastlines, like many things around us, are constantly evolving. Keeping pace with the changes and their development is necessary to ensure their stability and to maintain eco-equilibrium for nearshore hydrodynamics and morphodynamics. Supported with field measurements for model validation, several numerical and analytical tools are available to us to understand the physical processes in the vicinity of these water bodies.This book encompasses the engineering principles involved in field data observation, measurement, collection, and processing; the prediction of wave climate and sediment transport using measured field data; numerical modelling involving calibration and validation of the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes; and the study of the underlying physical processes and the application of sustainable engineering measures to combat coast- and estuary-related problems.The book has three sections: The first section is an elaboration on the need for and framework of the existing management and engineering notions. The second section details the measurement of the various parameters such as wave climate (offshore and nearshore), shoreline changes, beach profile variation, and sediment transport rates. The third section describes the aspects of wave prediction to arrive at design characteristics and modelling of the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes along open coasts and tidal inlets.This book is designed to benefit students pursuing coastal engineering as their field of specialization. It could also serve as a guidebook to engineers, planners, and decision makers working in the fields of coastal, estuarine, and harbour engineering, governmental and private agencies that plan the financial outlay for coastal development projects, and private consultants dealing with maritime hydraulics.

This book unifies and enhances the accessibility of contemporary scholarly research on advances in coastal modeling. A comprehensive spectrum of innovative models addresses the wide diversity and multifaceted aspects of coastal research on the complex natural processes, dynamics, interactions and responses of the coastal supersystem and its associated subsystems. The twenty-one chapters, contributed by internationally recognized coastal experts from fourteen countries, provide invaluable insights on the recent advances and present state-of-the-art knowledge on coastal models which are essential for not only illuminating the governing coastal process and various characteristics, but also for understanding and predicting the dynamics at work in the coastal system. One of the unique strengths of the book is the impressive and encompassing presentation of current functional and operational coastal models for all those concerned with and interested in the modeling of seas, oceans and coasts. In addition to chapters modeling the dynamic natural processes of waves, currents, circulatory flows and sediment transport there are also chapters that focus on the modeling of beaches, shorelines, tidal basins and shore platforms. The substantial scope of the book is further strengthened with chapters concentrating on the effects of coastal structures on nearshore flows, coastal water quality, coastal pollution, coastal ecological modeling, statistical data modeling, and coupling of coastal models with geographical information systems.

The second edition of Environmental Oceanography is the first textbook to link the needs of the coastal oceanographer and the environmental practitioner. The ever-increasing human impact on the environment, and particularly on the coastal zone, has led governments to carefully examine the environmental implications of development proposals. This book provides the background needed to undertake coastal oceanographic investigations and sets them in context by incorporating case studies and sample problems based on the author's experience as an environmental consultant.

Over the past 20 years the costs of natural disasters have escalated significantly. The lives of over 800 million people have been disrupted and the number of catastrophes has nearly quadrupled. At present, the increasing global threat of natural disasters, in spite of our increased knowledge, is ominous. With the growth in world population, the increasing of resources in newly developing areas, and the increasing cost and sophistication of engineering structures and technical installations, there is an urgent need to seek to understand the potential threats posed by natural hazards and to ascertain the best ways of mitigating their damaging effects. To meet this urgent threat, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in December 22, 1989 passed a Resolution which declared the 1990s to be the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). As a contribution to the decade, the International Symposium Hazards--91 was held in Perugia, Italy, during 4--9 August 1991. The conference was attended by specialists from 34 countries, and a total of 110 papers were presented at 20 sessions, covering a very broad range of topics which proved to be of significant value for future research. The sixteen articles included in this book provide a unique overview of the state-of-the-science in geophysical hazards including climatic, atmospheric, hydrological and geological hazards. Furthermore, the results of a panel on the IDNDR and the recommendations adopted during the meeting are presented at the end of this volume. Recent Studies in Geophysical Hazards is thus an excellent reference source for scientists, engineers, and policy makers.