14.03.

a
How Waves Are Described
How Waves Propagate Across the Water
Wave characteristics and
terminology
Wavelength (L)
Still water level
Orbital motion
Crest
Trough
Wave height (H)
Calm water
Orbital size decreases with depth to zero at
wave base
Depth of wave base = wavelength,
measured from still water level
Wave characteristics and
terminology (continued)

If wave steepness exceeds
1
/
7
, the wave breaks
Period (T) = the time it takes one full wave
one wavelengthto pass a fixed position

) ( wavelength
) ( height wave
steepness Wave
L
H

T
f
1
) ( Frequency
Ocean waves can be classified in various ways:

Disturbing Force- the forces which generate the
waves.
1. Gravity or Wind waves - sea and swell belong
Short wave length .
2. Earthquakes; they generate tsunamis, which
are shallow water or long waves.
3. Tides (astronomical forcing); they are always
shallow water or long waves.
Wave Classification
Wind or Gravity Waves
Wind passing over water 2%-3% of energy
transferred to water in form of waves
Longer wind blows, bigger waves get.
Time and fetch or length of run determines
Wave velocity (Celerity) approaches wind
speed
Wave motion almost frictionless energy
can travel great distance without much loss
The sea and swell
Waves originate in a
sea area
Swell describes
waves that:
Have traveled out of
their area of
origination
Exhibit a uniform and
symmetrical shape
Figure 8-9
Tide wave
These are shallow water waves because
wavelength is so long.
Entire water column involved
Speed determined by rotation of earth and
water depth
Sea basins complicate tides, huge in some
places very slight in others
Tsunami
Tsunami terminology
Often called tidal waves but have nothing to do
with the tides
Japanese term meaning harbor wave
Also called seismic sea waves
Created by movement of the ocean floor by:
Underwater fault movement
Underwater avalanches
Underwater volcanic eruptions
Tsunami characteristics
Affect entire water column, so carry more
energy than surface waves
Can travel at speeds over 700 kilometers
(435 miles) per hour
Small wave height in the open ocean, so
pass beneath ships unnoticed
Build up to extreme heights in shallow
coastal areas
Bay
14.04.a-b
How Waves Interact with the Shoreline
Swirl away loose pieces of bedrock
or break off new pieces
Grind and break clasts,
making sand and stones
that promote erosion
Waves bend (refract) if
approach shore
at an angle
Bays protected
from largest waves
Waves break directly on
promontory
from several
sides
Part that
encounters
bottom
slows,
bending
wave
Slump
14.04.c
How Sand and Other Sediment get Moved on a Beach
Sand washed back
and forth by waves
Water flows
downslope carrying sediment
Wind blows
sand on, off,
or along
beach
Sediment
moves
laterally along
coast if wave
at angle to
beach
Washes up
at angle,
but washes
directly
down slope
River
Dunes
Delta
Offshore
island
Currents
transport
sediment
along coast
14.04.d1
Consider what determines whether a shoreline gains
or loses sand with time
Rivers provide influx
of sediment
Sediment largely from
erosion on land
Dunes with sand
mostly from beach
or river
Reefs erode, adding
material to the system
Beach erosion and
slumping rocks add
sediment to shore
The Beach
In some ways, the beach is nothing more
than a great energy dissipation system to
protect the land from the stormy sea.
Others rock cliffs, mangrove, coral reefs,
and rarely - mud Beaches very rare SW
Louisiana
Sand in beaches always moving onshore-
offshore in response to storm energy
Sand moves alongshore in response to
longshore drift
Waves break when they reach shallow water
and start interacting with the bottom


The importance of the dunes
The dunes particularly the foredunes are
directly interacting with the beach and near
shore sand bars.
Wind (Aeolian) and waves move sand around
but where beaches exist, they work to keep
the sand in place over time.
Importance of vegetation in anchoring dune
grasses and forbs can not be understated
The importance of dunes to a stable beach
environment also cannot be under stated




Disappearing beaches
Sand moves from a source (a river mouth or eroding
seaside cliff to a sink, either and inlet or an offshore
canyon
Waves and physics keeps most of the sand in the
surf zone
Dunes and dune sediment keep sand from blowing
inland
If sediment supply gets reduced (dam on river, new
inlet, protection of eroding cliff) sand supply washes
away, erode width of beach
Groins capture some sand but cause greater erosion
downdrift
Beach nourishment projects the only way out for
some beaches Miami the most famous
Miami Beach

Before beach replenishment









After beach replenishment
Barrier Islands
Protection for areas behind them from
waves.
Extensive on the east coast of North America
Sea-level rise is forcing barrier islands
landward. Many of the low-lying ones in
Louisiana are disappearing.
Occasional washover in storms normal.
Galveston, Padre, Mustang, Matagorda Cape
Canaveral, Miami Beach, Pensacola Beach,
Sea Islands of Georgia