The Oceans - Chapter 2: Waves Flashcards
Although it may not be readily apparent to the occasional visitor, the shoreline is being constantly ____ by the ocean waters
shaped and modified
The ___ is a complex zone where unique unique character results from various geological processes
shore
Which type of wave provides most of the energy that shapes and modifies shorelines?
Wind generated
The undulations of the water surface (waves) derive their energy and motion from the ____
wind
What are the tops of waves called?
crests
What separates the crests of weaves?
troughs
The vertical distance between trough and crest
wave height
horizontal distance between successive crests
wavelength
The time interval between the passage of successive crests at a stationary point
wave period
Height, length, and period of a wave depend on three factors:
wind speed, length of time the wind has blown, fetch
What is fetch?
The distance the wind has traveled across the open water
As the quantity of energy transferred from the wind to the water increases, the height and steepness of the waves ____
increase
What do we call the ocean breakers reached at a critical point
whitecaps
When the maximum fetch and duration are reached for a given wind velocity the waves are said to be…
fully developed
Why can’t waves grow further after they reach that maximum fetch?
They are losing as much energy as they are receiving from the wind through the breaking of whitecaps
When the wind stops or changes directions, or the waves leave the stormy area, they continue on without _____
relation to local winds
What is the gradual change called that waves undergo when they are lower in height and longer in length and may carry the storm’s energy to distant storms?
swells
True or false: the wave form moves forward and not the water itself
True
Waves that are in the open sea
Waves of oscillation
For winds of oscillation, the energy contributed by the wind to the water is ____ not only along the surface of the sea but also downward
transmitted
When waves are in shallowed water, the surface affects the size. A wave begins to “feel bottom” at a water depth equal to ____ its wavelength
1/2
As the speed and length of the wave diminish, the wave _____
grows higher
What is it calling when the wave collapses?
breaking
After a wave breaks, what had been a wave of oscillation is now ____
wave or translation
What do we call the turbulent water created by breaking waves?
Surf
What do we call the turbulent sheet of water moving up the slope of the beach?
Swash
When the energy of the swash has been expended, the water flows back down the beach as
backwash
