1. Waves
Dr. Mark A. McGinley
Honors College and Department of
Biological Sciences
Texas Tech University

2. Ocean Currents, Waves, and Tides
• Ocean currents, waves, and tides all influence
water movement in the ocean
• Ocean currents are different from ocean
waves
– Water moves (sort of like a river in the ocean)
from place to place in the ocean as a result of
ocean currents
– Energy moves through the ocean as a result of
ocean waves

4. Ocean Waves
• Caused by the wind
• Energy moves through the water, but the water
does not move!!!!
• http://eric.boissard.free.fr/waves.html
• (remember, things are different near shore when
waves start to “break”. More on this later)

5. Ocean Waves

6. Important Characteristics of Ocean
Waves
• Wavelength- the distance between two wave
peaks
• Amplitude- distance from the mean sea level
to the wave peak
• Height- the distance from the wave trough to
the wave peak
• Period- the time between two adjacent wave
peaks passing the same location

8. Ocean Wave Movement
• http://www.csun.edu/~aes15831/graphics/ge
neral_photos/oceanography/waves/images/or
bital_wave.gif
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXWpmY
86lHk

9. Wave Movement

10. Breaking Waves

11. Breaking Waves
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y1MkFZS
wIs&feature=related

12. Breaking Waves
• http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=nl&sa=X&biw=136
6&bih=624&tbm=isch&tbnid=gxupKPoy-
Pwp_M:&imgrefurl=http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/ed
u/learning/9_ocean_waves/activities/breaking_waves.
html&docid=qTjUYOEU2HhFNM&imgurl=http://oceane
xplorer.noaa.gov/edu/learning/9_ocean_waves/activiti
es/media/breaking_waves.gif&w=690&h=423&ei=wPF
NUNnFGe3iyAGfm4DIBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=817&
vpy=301&dur=1&hovh=176&hovw=287&tx=166&ty=9
2&sig=113037204853661644066&page=1&tbnh=110&
tbnw=179&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0,i:10
4

13. Big Wave Surfing
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB5c39PZ
FQ4

14. Storm Waves

15. Wave Power
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Wave_power