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Ocean surface wave

Ocean surface waves are surface waves that occur in the upper layer of the ocean. They usually result from wind. Some are made by geologic effects like earthquakes or vulcanicity and may travel thousands of miles before striking land. They range in size from small ripples to huge tsunamis. There is little actual forward motion of individual water particles in an unbroken wave, despite the large amount of energy and momentum it may carry forward. When a wave hits shallow water, it "breaks" because the bottom moves more slowly than the top.

Breaking waves at Children's Pool, in La Jolla, CA.

Wave formation

The great majority of large breakers one sees on an ocean beach result from distant winds. Three factors influence the formation of these "wind waves":

  • Wind speed
  • Distance of open water that the wind has blown over.
  • Length of time the wind has blown over a given area.

All of these factors work together to determine the size and shape of ocean waves. The greater each of the variables, the larger the waves. Waves are measured by:

  • Height (from trough to crest)
  • Wavelength (from crest to crest)
  • Period (time interval between arrival of consecutive crests at a stationary point)

Waves in a given area typically have a range of sizes. For weather reporting and for scientific analysis of wind wave statistics, their size over a period of time is usually expressed as "significant wave height." This figure represents the average height of the highest one-third of the waves in a given time period (usually twelve hours) or in a specific storm system or event. Given the variability of wave size, the largest individual waves are likely to be twice the reported significant wave height for a particular day or storm.

Ocean Surface Wave Media

  • A man standing next to large ocean waves at Porto Covo, Portugal

  • Video of large waves from Hurricane Marie along the coast of Newport Beach, California.

  • Aspects of a water wave

  • The Miles-Phillips wave formation mechanism

  • Water particle motion of a deep water wave

  • The phases of an ocean surface wave: 1. Wave Crest, where the water masses of the surface layer are moving horizontally in the same direction as the propagating wavefront. 2. Falling wave. 3. Trough, where the water masses of the surface layer are moving horizontally in the opposite direction of the wavefront direction. 4. Rising wave.

  • NOAA ship Delaware II in bad weather on Georges Bank

  • Surf on a rocky irregular bottom. Porto Covo, west coast of Portugal

  • Classification of the spectrum of ocean waves according to wave period

  • Waves create ripple marks in beaches.

References

Other websites

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