Waves in Coastal and Estuarine Waters

Wind waves in shallow environments affect the movement of bottom sediment, coastal erosion, and overtopping and breaching of shore defenses and coastal evolution: forming beaches, sandbanks, and ebb shoals in estuaries. Thus, they are important to coastal engineers, offshore operators, and coastal managers. Wave theory is discussed briefly, with reference to some of the extensive literature on this topic. Various processes and phenomena associated with shallow water waves are discussed giving case studies relating to waves on the UK coast, especially Liverpool Bay in the eastern Irish Sea, with a focus on shallow water wave modeling.