Why Does the Ocean Have Waves? Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts about ocean waves from the reading comprehension passage.

Ocean Waves

Disturbances created by energy passing through water, causing the water to move in a circular motion.

Circular Motion

The movement pattern of water caused by energy passing through it when a wave is formed.

Wave Energy Transmission

The process by which waves move energy, but not water, across the ocean.

Ocean Basin

An entire region of the ocean across which waves have the potential to travel if unobstructed.

Wind

The most common cause of wave creation, occurring across the surface of oceans and lakes globally.

Wind-driven Waves

Waves created by the friction between wind and surface water, also referred to as surface waves.

Surface Waves

Another name for wind-driven waves found globally across the open ocean and along the coast.

Friction

The force between blowing wind and surface water that creates surface waves.

Wave Crest

The peak created on the water surface by the continual disturbance of blowing wind.

Open Ocean

Deep, open waters where wind-driven waves are commonly found globally.

Coast

The land along the edge of the ocean where surface waves and severe waves arrive.

Severe Weather

Storm conditions, such as a hurricane, that can cause hazardous waves.

Hurricane

A type of severe storm whose strong winds and pressure generate storm surge.

Storm Surge

A series of long, hazardous waves created far from shore in deeper water by severe storms that intensify as they approach land.

Underwater Disturbances

Events such as earthquakes, landslides, or volcanic eruptions that quickly displace large amounts of water.

Earthquakes

An underwater disturbance that can rapidly displace large amounts of water to form a tsunami.

Landslides

An underwater disturbance capable of displacing large volumes of water quickly to cause tsunamis.

Volcanic Eruptions

An underwater event that displaces large amounts of water quickly, generating tsunamis.

Tsunamis

Very long hazardous waves caused by underwater disturbances that displace large amounts of water quickly.

Massive Sea Level Rise

The characteristic way in which storm surges and tsunamis roll upon the shore, reaching far inland.

Gravitational Pull

The attraction exerted by the sun and moon on the earth that causes tides.

Sun and Moon

The celestial bodies whose gravitational pull on the earth causes tidal waves.

Tides

Waves caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon on the earth, also called tidal waves.

Tidal Waves

Another term for tides, which are created by the gravitational forces of the sun and moon.

Misconception About Tsunamis

The incorrect belief that a tsunami is identical to a tidal wave.

Tidal State

Any stage of the tide during which a tsunami can occur, as tsunami causes are unrelated to tide information.

Obstruction to Waves

An object or landform, such as an island or a beach, that blocks or stops waves from traveling across the ocean.

Island

A land feature that can act as a physical obstruction to ocean waves.

Beach

A shore landform that can obstruct waves as they travel across the ocean basin.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The source organization credited for the ocean wave text information.