Waves, Tides and Currents

Waves
A wave is a rhythmic movement that
carries energy through matter or
space.

All waves have the same main parts.

Still-Water Line - The level of the ocean if it were
flat without any waves.

Crest - The highest part of the wave above the still-

water line.

Trough - The lowest part of the wave below the still-

water line

Wave Height - The vertical distance between the

crest and the trough.
Wavelength - The horizontal distance between each
crest or each trough.
Wave Period - The time it takes for two successive
waves to pass a particular point. For example, if you are
standing on a pier and start a stopwatch as the crest of a
wave passes and then stop the stopwatch as the crest of
the next wave passes, you have measured the wave
period.
Wave Frequency - The number of waves that pass a
particular point in a given time period.

Fetch The distance the wind blows over open water.

Amplitude - The amplitude is equal to one-half the
wave height or the distance from either the crest or the
trough to the still-water line.
 Waves
The highest part of a wave is the crest.
The lowest part of a wave is the trough.
Parts of Ocean Waves
 Wavelength
The distance from the crest of one wave to the crest
of the wave next to it is called wavelength.
 Wave Height
Wave height is the vertical distance from the trough
to the crest.
 Waves
Most ocean waves are caused by wind that
blows across the surface of the water.

Friction between the wind and water transfers

energy from the wind to the water.
Waves
 Waves
The longer and harder the wind blows and the
greater the distance over which it blows, the
higher the waves become..
 Wave Movement
The wave travels
forward.
But the water particles
do not!
The water particles
move in a circular
pattern as they are
temporarily displaced
by the energy of the
wave.
 2002 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
 Transfer of Energy
A wave is really a
transfer of energy from
one water molecule to
the next.

If all the water itself

moved forward all the
oceans would empty
onto the shore!!!!!
 Why Do Waves Break?
Water molecules do tend to travel forward as they
break on shore.
Waves break when they approach shallow water.
 Breakers
The bottom of the wave is slowed down by
friction with the ocean floor.
The top of the wave is still moving forward,
traveling faster than the bottom.
Its momentum causes it to move past the
bottom part of the wave.
When this happens the wave topples over on
itself, forming a breaker.
Wind Waves Approaching Shore

What happens when wind waves break against the shore?

2002 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.

 Breaking Waves
In general waves break when the depth of the water
is a little greater than the height of the wave.
What Makes A
Wave?
Tides
 What causes tides?
The gravitational forces of the moon and sun
on the water causes the tides..

The moon, being nearest, has the greatest

effect even though the sun is the larger of the
two.
High tides are generated on the sides of the
Earth nearest to and farthest from the moon
 During new and
full moon phases
the moon, sun, and
Earth are aligned
causing a greater
gravitational pull
on the Earth.

This results in
higher high tides
and lower low
tides.
 Spring Tides
The Moon moves around Earth and Earth moves
around the Sun.
The Moon, Earth, and Sun line up twice a month-
when the moon is full and the when it is new.
The Moon and Sun pull together on Earths oceans.
The result is high tides that are very high and low
tides that are very low; Spring Tides
Spring refers to the springing up of the water, not
the spring season.
 Neap Tides
When the Sun and Moon are at a 90 degree angle
with Earth, they no longer pull in the same direction.
The pull of the Sun works against the pull of the
Moon.
High tides are not so high and low tides are not so
low; Neap Tides
Occur twice each month, when the Moon is in its
first quarter and its third quarter phases.
 What is a Current?
A current is a continuous flow of water in
a given direction

A current is like a river in the ocean

The water of the ocean surface moves in a regular pattern called surface ocean
currents. The currents are named. In this map, warm currents are shown in red
and cold currents are shown in blue.
 Surface-Ocean Currents

Most are part of the gyres that circulate

in the ocean basins
Gyres circulate clockwise in the northern
hemisphere
Gyres circulate counterclockwise in the
southern hemisphere
Why?
Observe direction of circulation of gyres
Fig. 16-12, p.384
 Coriolis Effect
Why dont we notice the Coriolis Effect?
Something has to move a very long way
before the Coriolis effect is noticeable - at
least several hundred miles.
For example, if you throw a football the path
only curves a tiny bit due to the Coriolis
effect - far too small for you to ever notice.
 Coriolis Effect Animation
Click below for animation
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_scien
ce/terc/content/visualizations/es1904/es1904
page01.cfm
http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-
kids/0089-coriolis-effect.php