ABSTRACT
The continental margins are extremely important as oil reservoirs and as such are of most interest to engineers concerned with harnessing offshore oil and gas resources. The continental shelf can be virtually non-existent or extend several hundred kilometres offshore with the shelf break occurring between depths of 10 and 500 m. Shelf breaks are deepest off glaciated areas and shallowest in areas with extensive coral growth. Hydrodynamic forces arise through ocean waves and currents that may impact on an offshore structure or that can transport sediment in suspension. Regions of continental shelf have characteristic soil conditions that arise from the depositional environment and the geomorphic and ocean processes that have shaped the bathymetry and have worked the sediments. Specialist texts discuss the impact of waves on offshore construction activities and practical guidance on wave forecasting. This chapter presents a basic introduction to waves.
