Oceanography Exam 2- General Waves

What are waves?

regularly occurring transport of energy.

What is wave motion?

the movement of energy is not necessarily the same as the movement of particles of the substance the wave moves through.

What are Progressive Waves?

energy moves forward across the surface of the ocean horizontally.

What are generating forces?

disturbing force that creates a water wave.

What are restoring forces?

return disturbed water to equilibrium level.

Surface tension & Gravity

What are forced waves?

generated by continuously acting force and move faster than would freely travel.

What’s a free wave?

wave continues to move at natural speed
controlled by period and wavelength after it is
generated by a force.

Whats a wave period?

time it takes 2 crests to pass 1 point

What’s wave frequency?

number of times a crest passes 1
point over a given amount of time.

What are capillary waves?

small waves whose primary
restoring force is surface tension.

What are gravity waves?

larger waves whose primary restoring force is gravity.

Deep water waves depth of ocean is…?

depth of ocean ≥ 1/2 wavelength

Intermediate water waves depth of ocean is…?

1/20 ≥ depth of ocean ≤ 1/2 wavelength

Shallow water waves depth of ocean is…?

depth of ocean ≤ 1/20 wavelength

Breaking Shallow water waves depth of ocean is…?

depth of ocean ≤ 1/20 wavelength
wave height : wavelength >1:7

What are breakers?

shallow water wave that has become too steep at surface to be stable and collapses.

What is wave steepness?

ratio of wave height to wavelength.

What’s stokes drift?

the mass transport of water forward in
the direction of wave energy movement.