Waves and How They are Affected as they Approach the Shore
Most waves on the surface of the ocean are generated by the wind. The wind blows along the surface of the ocean and the friction between the particles on the sea surface and the air particles cause the sea to unsettle and form small, irregular waves. These waves cause rapidly increasing friction and the waves become greater in size as the energy from the wind is transferred to the sea.
Not all waves in the ocean are formed in the same way though; there are many different types of waves including Storm Waves, Swell Waves and Sea Waves.
Storm Waves are produced in a similar way to the method as described above. They are high energy, irregular, steep and often break due to them exceeding the critical steepness. They are produced when a local storm produces winds that affect the surface of the ocean in the same way as described above. They are high energy because the storm means there is a lot more energy to be transferred to the sea from the winds. One form of sea wave that occurs is known as a rogue wave. These rogue waves, or freak waves, are large, spontaneous storm waves. Storm Waves are frequent in environments known as ‘regions of cyclonic frontal activity’ which are in the higher mid latitudes of both hemispheres
Swell Waves move out from a storm, the further these waves travel, the weaker, the less energy, these waves have. These waves have a relatively low height compared to their large wavelength. Swell waves are far more regular than Strom Waves and have a lower frequency. They are released from the storm in all directions and can travel for hundreds of miles.
Sea Waves are locally generated in relatively sheltered area of sea. They are formed by light winds, no more than force two or three, they are also irregular and can often break. These do not break by exceeding the critical steepness, the wind simply blows the top off the wave causing white water to be formed on the top of the waves, these are known as ‘White Horses’. Sea Waves are high frequency and can be destructive.
There is another form of wave that is not formed by anything to do with the wind, these waves are called Tsunamis. They are formed by tectonic action. An oceanic plate sub-ducts under a continental plate, or another oceanic plate, the plate...