Wave
Also called: Ocean wave · Topic: Movements of Ocean Water: Waves, Tides and Currents · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 13 "Movements of Ocean Water"
Meaning
An ocean wave is energy moving across the sea surface. The water itself does not travel with it. Most waves are made by wind, which passes its energy into the water. Gravity then pulls the raised crests back down. Under a wave, water particles only move in small circles, so a floating object bobs in place. When a wave reaches shallow water, it slows, steepens and breaks, releasing its energy on the shore.
Example
Waves raised by the south-west monsoon winds over the Arabian Sea pound the Konkan and Kerala coasts in June–September. This makes the sea rough and unsafe for small fishing boats.
Don't confuse with
- Ocean current: a steady flow of water along a set path. A wave moves energy, not water.
- Tide: the regular rise and fall of sea level caused by the pull of the Moon and the Sun, not by the wind.
Related concepts
- Orbital motion of water particles
- Fetch
- Wave height
- Wavelength
- Swell
- Breaking of waves
- Longshore drift
- Kallakkadal