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Inside a wave | Measurement | How waves breakWhen a wave crashes ashore, do you think about the wind thousands of miles away? The larger the wave, the farther away it probably came from. Inside a wave Wave size depends on how hard the wind blows, and how long it blows in one direction (scientists call this "fetch"). As waves move, each particle of water stays in roughly the same area. Measuring waves
How waves break
Though commonly confused, wind waves are not the same as tsunamis. ez Other science links from explorezone.com Graphics and text by Robert Roy Britt |
Waves,
either on the ocean or on a lake, are created as the wind blows over
the water, turning particles of water in circles. Imagine the force
of a breaking wave as accumulated wind energy near the water's surface.
Each particle of water transmits energy to the next.
A
wave's amplitude is the distance between equilibrium and a crest,
or equilibrium and a trough. The distance between wave crests is called
wavelength. The longer the wavelength, the faster a wave moves.
As
the seafloor becomes less deep near the coast, it drags on the wave
and slows it down. This compresses the distance between wave crests
and increases the height. Finally, the top of the wave falls down,
or breaks.
