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What causes large waves to form?
Waves on the ocean surface are usually formed by wind. When wind blows, it transfers the energy through friction. The faster the wind, the longer it blows, or the farther it can blow uninterrupted, the bigger the waves. The largest waves occur where there are big expanses of open water that wind can affect.
What conditions are needed to produce large waves?
Ideal Wave Formation Conditions
- Wind Speed – The greater the wind speed the larger the wave.
- Wind Duration -The longer the wind blows the larger the wave.
- Fetch – The greater the area the wind affects the larger the wave.
What influences the size and energy of a wave?
1. Waves and wave energy
| Factor | Size and energy of waves |
|---|---|
| Wind speed | The greater the wind speed, the greater the wave height, the greater the wave energy. |
What causes a beach to form?
A beach forms when waves deposit sand and gravel along the shoreline. and pebbles. Over time they are worn smooth from being rolled around by waves. The rocks usually reflect the local geology.
What happens when waves reach the coast?
Waves at the Shoreline: As a wave approaches the shore it slows down from drag on the bottom when water depth is less than half the wavelength (L/2). The waves get closer together and taller. Eventually the bottom of the wave slows drastically and the wave topples over as a breaker.
Where do the largest waves in the world occur?
The Nazaré Waves in Portugal. During 2012, the Guinness World Records Organization, gave its confirmation regarding a wave with a height of 23.7 meters or 78 feet, being registered as the largest wave in the world to have been surfed.
What factors generate ocean currents?
Oceanic currents are driven by three main factors:
- The rise and fall of the tides. Tides create a current in the oceans, which are strongest near the shore, and in bays and estuaries along the coast.
- Wind. Winds drive currents that are at or near the ocean’s surface.
- Thermohaline circulation.
Why do some beaches have bigger waves?
West-coast waves tend to start way out in the Pacific Ocean, so they have a greater distance to travel before they hit the shore — more time to grow in size and length. Dr. But the much longer fetch in the Pacific Ocean allows the waves to receive more wind energy, and so they grow larger.
Is a beach formed by erosion or deposition?
Beach formation begins as eroded continental material–sand, gravel, and cobble fragments–is washed to sea by streams and rivers. Two processes result in the deposition of this sediment on the shore.