The way in which wind blows over water and causes waves to be generated is still a very active area of research for applied mathematicians, as well as for oceanographers and engineers. The basic mechanisms are still a matter of controversy, although the use of modern techniques of asymptotic and non-linear analysis and large-scale computation, as well as experimental structures, have begun to demonstrate which are the dominant mechanisms in different types of wind-wave regimes. These studies result in practical methods of forecasting waves and their effects on sediment, pollution, offshore structures, etc., and even lead to methods of controlling them. These are the themes covered by the papers in this book, written by many of the leading authorities in the field.
