Oceanography,

10e
Chapter 10: Waves

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Largest wave ever recorded:
Liyuya Bay, Alaska 1958 Due to enormous rocks and debris crashing into Ocean from large
earthquake, wave hit shore and was
over 1700 feet high. Scientists
believe this may be the fourth or
fifth giant wave to hit in this area in
the past 150 years.
Ocean Waves Move Energy across the Sea Surface
• Waves – disturbances caused by the movement of energy
• Energy is moving, not water
• Orbital waves – energy is transferred via circular motions
• Progressive waves – “move” forward

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 Ocean Waves Move
Energy across the Sea
Surface
 Circular Orbital Motion
• Wave particles move
in a circle

Wave motion is and

NOT

forward motion
Ocean Waves Move Energy across the Sea Surface

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 Waves Are Influenced by the Depth of Water
Through Which They Are Moving
• Deep-water waves – depth greater than ½ wavelength

L
C
T
• Shallow-water waves – depth less than ½ wavelength

C 3.1 d



Orbital Waves
 Wave Generation
• Disturbing force causes waves to form
• Wind blowing across ocean surface
• Interface of fluids with different densities
• Air – ocean interface
– Ocean waves
• Air – air interface
– Atmospheric waves
• Water – water interface
– Internal waves
 Other Types of Waves
• Splash wave
– Coastal landslides, calving icebergs
• Seismic sea wave or tsunami
– Sea floor movement
• Tides
– Gravitational attraction among Moon, Sun, and Earth
• Wake
– Ships
Wind Blowing Over the Ocean Generates Waves
• Factors affect growth of wind waves
– Wind strength
– Wind duration
– Fetch
Wind Blowing Over the Ocean Generates Waves

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Wave Size Depends on……
• Wind Speed
Low wind speed = small or no waves
• Wind Duration
Short wind duration cannot make large waves
• Fetch (distance the wind blows)
Short distance getting wind = small wave

• All 3 together with no limits = BIG waves

 Wave Height
• Directly related to wave energy
• Wave heights usually less than 2 meters (6.6 feet)
• Breakers called whitecaps form when wave reaches
critical steepness
• Beaufort Wind Scale describes appearance of sea
surface
Beaufort Wind Scale
 Maximum Wave Height
• USS Ramapo (1933): 152-meters (500 feet) long
ship caught in Pacific typhoon
• Waves 34 meters (112 feet) high

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Wind Blowing Over the Ocean Generates Waves

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Global Wave Height

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Deep-Water Waves Change to Shallow-Water
Waves Near the Shore

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Waves Approaching Shore
• As a deep-water wave becomes a shallow-water wave:
– Wave speed decreases
– Wavelength decreases
– Wave height increases
– Wave steepness (height/wavelength) increases
– When steepness > 1/7, wave breaks

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Waves Approaching Shore
 Surfing
• Like riding a gravity-operated water sled
• Balance of gravity and buoyancy
• Skilled surfers position board on wave front
– Can achieve speeds up to 40 km/hour
(25 miles/hour)
Deep-Water Waves Change to Shallow-Water
Waves Near the Shore

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Wave Refraction and Diffraction

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Wave Refraction
• Waves rarely approach shore at a perfect 90 degree
angle.
• As waves approach shore, they bend so wave crests are
nearly parallel to shore.
• Wave speed is proportional to the depth of water
(shallow-water wave).
• Different segments of the wave crest travel at different
speeds.
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Wave Refraction and Diffraction

Garrison, Oceanography 10th Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or
duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Wave Refraction and Diffraction

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Wave Refraction
 Wave Refraction
• Gradually erodes
headlands
• Sediment
accumulates in bays
 A Storm Surge

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Water Displacement Causes Tsunami and Seismic Sea
Waves
• Tsunami – long-wavelength, progressive waves

• Caused by rapid displacement of water

• Always shallow-water waves

• Move quickly

• Very destructive on land

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
The Japanese Tsunami of 2011

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
The Japanese Tsunami of 2011

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Tsunami of 2004

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Tsunami Destruction

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Tsunami Destruction

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Global Tsunamis

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Tsunami Detection

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Tsunami
• Seismic sea waves
• Originate from sudden sea floor topography changes
– Earthquakes – most common cause
– Underwater landslides
– Underwater volcano collapse
– Underwater volcanic eruption
– Meteorite impact – splash waves

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 Tsunami Characteristics
• Long wavelengths (> 200 km or 125 miles)
• Behaves as a shallow-water wave
– Encompasses entire water column, regardless of ocean depth
– Can pass undetected under boats in open ocean
• Speed proportional to water depth
– Very fast in open ocean

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 Tsunami

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 Tsunami Destruction
• Sea level can rise up to 40 meters (131 feet)
when a tsunami reaches shore.

.
 Tsunami
• Most occur in
Pacific Ocean
– More earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions
• Damaging to coastal
areas
• Loss of human lives
Historical LargeTsunami
 Tsunami Warning System
• Pacific Tsunami
Warning Center
(PTWC) – Honolulu, HI
– Uses seismic wave
recordings to forecast
tsunami
• Deep Ocean
Assessment and
Reporting of Tsunami
(DART)
– System of buoys
– Detects pulse of tsunami
passing
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Tsunami Watches and Warnings
• Tsunami Watch –
issued when potential
for tsunami exists
• Tsunami Warning –
unusual wave activity
verified
– Evacuate people
– Move ships from
harbors

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 Research Activity Answer
• Break up into pairs and investigate a large-scale tsunami that has occurred in the
past. Identify the characteristics of tsunamis that make them dangerous.
• Exchange ideas with another pair and take turns sharing the information you
discovered. Compare and contrast your findings with the other pair.
• Your group of four will share the information with the class.
• As a class, discuss the dangerous nature of tsunamis.
• The 2004 Indonesian event was the most lethal earthquake in 5 centuries. The numbers of dead
exceeded 176,000 with another 67,000 missing. Tsunami are caused by the rapid displacement of ocean
water. Tsunami move at high speeds – 750 kilometers (470 miles) per hour is typical. Tsunami are
shallow-water waves. Half their wavelength would be 100 kilometers (62 miles), and even the deepest
ocean trenches do not exceed 11 kilometers (7 miles) in depth. Unless the location is very close to the
causal epicenter, tsunami typically come ashore as a series of waves at regular intervals. Tsunami
warning systems depend on seabed seismometers, and submerged devices and satellites that watch
the shape of the sea surface.

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duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Waves as Source of Energy
• Lots of energy associated with waves
• Mostly with large storm waves
– How to protect power plants
– How to produce power consistently
• Environmental issues
– Building power plants close to shore
– Interfering with life and sediment movement

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Wave Power Plant

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 Wave Farms
• Portugal – 2008
– Ocean Power Delivery
– First wave farm
• About 50 wave power
development projects
globally

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Global Wave Energy Resources

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.