Changes of sea level and ocean waves are fundamental factors that determine the evolution of the coastal environment. Coastal areas are densely populated and rich in economic activities. Therefore the description of waves and sea level at the coast is extremely important.

The sea level varies on multiple time scales. Increase of ocean temperature and ice-cap melting lead to a rise in sea level, which progresses on decadal and centennial scales at a global scale, but it has different regional characterizations along coasts and in marginal seas. Local scale changes are also determined by changes in salinity and changes in ocean circulation. Coastal floods are determined by meteorological transients , which affect limited portions of reservoirs and persist in general from few hours to a day. The waves are produced by the wind and have profound effects on marine structures and coasts. Research carried out in the laboratory uses mathematical models of waves and sea level to calculate their characteristics in the current climate and their evolution in the coming decades in the Mediterranean.