Ocean and coastal engineering is the application of science in an ocean and coastal environment in order to meet the needs of the people. Although one of the important needs of people is the economic feasibility and the environmental impact of ocean and coastal projects, this particular aspect of ocean and coastal engineering will not be addressed in this review. This does not reflect an attitude that is intended to diminish the importance of these two very important aspects of ocean and coastal engineering, but rather a lack of expertise in reviewing these two important topics. This limited review will, instead, focus on the physical and mathematical aspects of ocean and coastal engineering.

One scenario for the engineering design of an ocean or coastal project is given in Fig. 1.1. Each element of the design begins with a statement of the principles of physics that govern that particular element. These principles of physics are then translated into mathematical problems that must then be solved either analytically or numerically. If a solution is obtained, it then remains to interpret these results physically. For this reason, the pedagogy in this review is to begin each problem analyzed by a statement of the principles of physics that govern the problem being analyzed. Only after the principles of physics have been identified will the mathematical formulation and solution technique be addressed. The intent is to identify the mathematical formulation and solution technique in a generic manner. This approach is intended to encourage...