EOSC 114 WAVES EXAM SCRIPT
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE
●● Use these properties to determine wave speed and behaviour in either
shallow or deep water.
Answer: Shallow Water Waves:
- Where water depth if equal or shallow than L/20
- Can "feel the bottom" as the water particles are dragging on the bottom
as they move
- Move horizontally back and forth
Deep Water Waves:
- Going deeper into water column, the orbits decrease
- Depths (d) equal or deeper than L/2
- Don't "feel the bottom" because their wave bases are shallower than the
ocean bottom
●● Explain how waves move matter and energy.
Answer: Energy is transported by waves and is related to the wave
height (H) only in deep water waves.
Waves with great heights transport more energy, and even those with
long wavelengths.
,large scale, permanent winds that blow over the ocean produce surface
currents which transport both matter and energy.
●● Describe the forces that generate waves, eliminate waves, and return
the ocean to a flat surface.
Answer: Generating Forces and Wave Types:
- Wind over ocean: wind waves at 60-150 m (most common)
- Atmospheric pressure, storm surge, tsunami: seiche (episodically)
- Faulting, eruption, landslide: tsunami (episodically)
- Gravitational attraction, rotation of earth: Tide
Restoring Forces:
- Surface tension: capillary waves
- Gravity: surface gravity waves (calm wind, seiche, tsunami, and tide)
Water has high surface tension, therefore ocean surfaces can remain
relatively calm with only fine ripples where there is no wind
●● Explain the factors that determine the roughness of the sea.
Answer: Wind strength and speed can transform capillary waves to
ripples to chop (short waves)
,Wind duration, how long it blows over a FETCH (the area over which
wind can blow uninterrupted)
Longer duration and strong wind speed can create a rough sea, over a
long fetch.
Energy IN from the wind = energy OUT from breaking
●● Describe how waves interact; explain constructive and destructive
interference.
Answer: Constructive: wave amplitude reinforces each other, and build a
wave of greater amplitude (crest + crest)
Destructive: occurs when the wave amplitudes oppose each other, result
in waves of reduced amplitudes (crest + trough)
●● Describe wave refraction, seiche (standing waves in enclosed or
semi-enclosed bodies), and resonance; how do these affect the coast and
people?
Answer: Refraction: waves approach a shore at an angle and it's because
waves slow down as depth become shallow and segment closest to the
shore... will "feel the bottom"
- results in the refraction/bending of the wave allowing it to be nearly
parallel tot he shore as it approaches
, - causes shore straightening, straightens out a ragged and irregular coast
and causes erosion
Seiche: resonant wave in a body of water caused by a disturbance by
wind or seismic activity. Usually form in lakes, landlocked seas, and
semi-enclosed seas
- can have same effect as a storm surge and can oscillate back and forth,
can form from tsunami in semi-enclosed body (Can cause drowning)
Resonance: every enclosed wave has resonance, a resonant wave is a
body of water caused by a disturbance by wind or seismic activity
(Seiches)
●● Relate wave interference and resonance to marine hazards.
Answer: Wave interference (Constructive) can create rogue monster
waves that are large and spontaneous and can sing larger ships and ocean
liners.
●● Describe how tsunamis form and how they are detected.
Answer: Tsunami: wave or a series of waves generated by the rapid
displacement of large amounts of ocean water
Caused By: earthquakes, eruptions, landslides into the ocean, iceberg
fall, and meteor impact
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE
●● Use these properties to determine wave speed and behaviour in either
shallow or deep water.
Answer: Shallow Water Waves:
- Where water depth if equal or shallow than L/20
- Can "feel the bottom" as the water particles are dragging on the bottom
as they move
- Move horizontally back and forth
Deep Water Waves:
- Going deeper into water column, the orbits decrease
- Depths (d) equal or deeper than L/2
- Don't "feel the bottom" because their wave bases are shallower than the
ocean bottom
●● Explain how waves move matter and energy.
Answer: Energy is transported by waves and is related to the wave
height (H) only in deep water waves.
Waves with great heights transport more energy, and even those with
long wavelengths.
,large scale, permanent winds that blow over the ocean produce surface
currents which transport both matter and energy.
●● Describe the forces that generate waves, eliminate waves, and return
the ocean to a flat surface.
Answer: Generating Forces and Wave Types:
- Wind over ocean: wind waves at 60-150 m (most common)
- Atmospheric pressure, storm surge, tsunami: seiche (episodically)
- Faulting, eruption, landslide: tsunami (episodically)
- Gravitational attraction, rotation of earth: Tide
Restoring Forces:
- Surface tension: capillary waves
- Gravity: surface gravity waves (calm wind, seiche, tsunami, and tide)
Water has high surface tension, therefore ocean surfaces can remain
relatively calm with only fine ripples where there is no wind
●● Explain the factors that determine the roughness of the sea.
Answer: Wind strength and speed can transform capillary waves to
ripples to chop (short waves)
,Wind duration, how long it blows over a FETCH (the area over which
wind can blow uninterrupted)
Longer duration and strong wind speed can create a rough sea, over a
long fetch.
Energy IN from the wind = energy OUT from breaking
●● Describe how waves interact; explain constructive and destructive
interference.
Answer: Constructive: wave amplitude reinforces each other, and build a
wave of greater amplitude (crest + crest)
Destructive: occurs when the wave amplitudes oppose each other, result
in waves of reduced amplitudes (crest + trough)
●● Describe wave refraction, seiche (standing waves in enclosed or
semi-enclosed bodies), and resonance; how do these affect the coast and
people?
Answer: Refraction: waves approach a shore at an angle and it's because
waves slow down as depth become shallow and segment closest to the
shore... will "feel the bottom"
- results in the refraction/bending of the wave allowing it to be nearly
parallel tot he shore as it approaches
, - causes shore straightening, straightens out a ragged and irregular coast
and causes erosion
Seiche: resonant wave in a body of water caused by a disturbance by
wind or seismic activity. Usually form in lakes, landlocked seas, and
semi-enclosed seas
- can have same effect as a storm surge and can oscillate back and forth,
can form from tsunami in semi-enclosed body (Can cause drowning)
Resonance: every enclosed wave has resonance, a resonant wave is a
body of water caused by a disturbance by wind or seismic activity
(Seiches)
●● Relate wave interference and resonance to marine hazards.
Answer: Wave interference (Constructive) can create rogue monster
waves that are large and spontaneous and can sing larger ships and ocean
liners.
●● Describe how tsunamis form and how they are detected.
Answer: Tsunami: wave or a series of waves generated by the rapid
displacement of large amounts of ocean water
Caused By: earthquakes, eruptions, landslides into the ocean, iceberg
fall, and meteor impact
