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Using data gathered by visual wave observations at three Lithuanian coastal observation sites during 1993-2008, we make an attempt to relate the recent changes in the intensity of coastal processes on the Lithuanian coast to changes in the local wave regime. There exist considerable interannual variations in the overall wave activity but no statistically significant trends in wave heights for the study period. The directional distribution of wave approach directions has become considerably narrower since about 2002. This feature is most prominent at Palanga where since 2002 almost all waves have approached from SW. This change apparently leads to a decrease in the sediment supply to the Curonian Spit and to a certain starvation of the Lithuanian coast.

A substantial part of the energy of wake waves from high-speedships sailing in shallow water is concentrated in nonlinear componentswhich at times have a solitonic nature. Recent results of investigationsinto solitonic wave interactions within the framework of theKadomtsev-Petviashvili equation and their implications for roguewave theory are reviewed. A surface elevation four times as highas the counterparts occurs if the properties of the interactingwaves are specifically balanced. The slope of the water surfacemay increase eightfold. The resulting structure may persist fora long time. Nonlinear wake components may exert a considerableinfluence on the marine ecosystem in coastal areas