Name ______________________________________________ Period _____ Date __________
Waves
Movement of Water in the Oceans
What are Ocean Waves?
Ocean Waves are the large scale movement of __________________through water molecules.
The wave energy moves forward, the _________________ don’t. They just move in a circular motion
Think of ___________________waiting for a wave, they bob up and down, but don’t travel forward as a
wave (and its energy) passes
beneath them.
They have to kick, paddle, or
be towed into a wave to
______________ it.
How do ocean waves form?
Most waves develop on the surface of the water by a
disturbance such as ________________
____________________ between the air and water
causes the wind to pull the water upward while gravity
works to pull the water back down.
Wave height
Wave height is determined by three things
How ____________________ the wind has been blowing
How much open water the wind is blowing across (________________)
The _____________ of the wind
Breaking waves
Eventually a wave stops growing in size, and it will _______________.
When waves approach shore the water depth decreases and the wave will start ______________the
bottom.
As the wave feels the bottom, the circular loops of water motion change to elliptical shapes, as loops are
_____________________by the bottom.
Eventually the steep ________________ portion of wave cannot support the water as the rear part moves
over, and the wave breaks.
Parts of a wave
Crest – ______________ point
Trough – _____________ point
Wave ___________________– Distance from crest to trough
Wave ___________________ – Distance between crests
Special Waves
Tsunamis:
Giant waves caused by __________________activity
Most damaging waves travel over great ___________________
Tsunami waves ______________ very little energy in the open water
When encountering the shoreline, ______________ quickly slows the bottom of the wave, allowing
water to rise quickly
Tsunami waves do not have to be tall to be damaging, the ____________ of the amount of water is
the issue!
Storm Surge
A high water event associated with significant ____________ pressure weather disturbances
(hurricane, topical storms, etc.)
Low Pressure systems allow sea levels to ___________ (high pressure depresses sea level)
High winds push water ________________
Rogue Waves
Greater than _____________the size of surrounding waves
______________________, may approach from opposite direction of normal waves
Steep sided with deep ________________
Name ______________________________________________________ Period ________ Date ______
Is the motion of the water caused by waves, currents, or tides?
A review quiz
1. Water levels are higher than normal during a full moon.
Wave
Current
Tide
Wave
Current
Tide
2. A tsunami
3. A constant flow of cold water from Alaska travels all the way to California
Wave
Current
Tide
4. Water moving an iceberg from Greenland to the N. Atlantic
Wave
Current
Tide
5. A ring of moving water in a swimming pool after your friend does a cannonball in the deep end.
Wave
Current
Tide
6. “Rivers” of water that flow in a specific direction.
Wave
Current
Tide
7. Large, movement of water in a circular path called a gyre
Wave
Current
Tide
8. In oceans, the movement of energy through the water
Wave
Current
Tide
9. Water moving due to differences in density (cold and salty will sink)
Wave
Current
Tide
10. These depend on the wind speed, distance wind traveled, and how long the wind was blowing
Wave
Current
Tide
11. Type of water movement that can influence a local climate.
Wave
Current
Tide
12. The large scale movement of water due to wind
Wave
Current
Tide
13. Movement of water due to the moon and sun’s gravitational pull
Wave
Current
Tide
14. Water in the Northern Hemisphere moves in a clockwise direction due to the Coriolis effect.
Wave
Current
Tide
15. The up and down movement of water levels
Wave
Current
Tide
Current
Tide
Current
Tide
Current
Tide
16. Water motion pictured:
Wave
17. Water motion pictured:
Wave
18. Water motion pictured:
Wave