Sea and swell waves

and ocean currents

Reporter: GROUP 2
Sea and Swell Waves
What are the common formation of the sea
and swell waves?
Waves are most commonly caused by wind. Wind-
driven waves, or surface waves, are created by the
friction between wind and surface water. As wind
blows across the surface of the ocean or a lake, the
continual disturbance creates a wave crest.

Swell is generally regular wave motion caused by large

meteorological disturbances operating at a distance.
Swell persists after the disturbance has disappeared
and maintains a constant direction as long as it keeps
in deep water. Swell can travel for considerable
distances.
Causes and effect of swell waves
A swell is an open ocean wave that hasn't broken
yet. Swell is created by the transfer of energy from
wind into water, and the longer and stronger the
wind blows, the bigger and more powerful a swell
will be.

Waves located on the ocean's surface are commonly

caused by wind transferring its energy to the water,
and big waves, or swells, can travel over long
distances. When waves crash onshore they can
make a significant impact to the landscape by
shifting entire islands of sand and carving out rocky
coastlines
There are three different types of swell that you should
understand: Ground Swell, Wind Swell and Hurricane
Swell.

A groundswell, or ground swell, is a long-period group of

waves created by a distant storm system over long
distances, at least 2,000 miles away from the coast. The
majority of groundswells are produced by mid-latitude
depressions between 30 and 60 degrees and travel from
west to east, swinging towards the Equator.
Significant Wave Height

The significant wave height (Hs) is a term used

to introduce a well-defined and standardized
statistic to denote the characteristic height of the
random waves in a sea state. It is defined in such a
way that it more or less corresponds to what a
mariner observes when visually estimating the
average wave height. It is critical to understand
that, when experiencing a significant wave height
of 2 m, this is an average, and waves close to
double this height can be expected to occur, albeit
infrequently
Significant wave height

This statistical concept can be used to estimate several

parameters of the waves in a specific forecast. The
highest ten per cent of the waves are roughly equal to
1.3 times the significant wave height, and the likely
maximum wave height will be roughly double the
significant height.
Expect double the height, three times a day

While the most common waves are lower than the

significant wave height, it is statistically possible to
encounter a wave that is much higher—especially if you
are out in the water for a long time. It is estimated that
approximately one in every 3000 waves will reach twice
the height of the significant wave height—roughly
equivalent to three times every 24 hours. As a reminder
of this important safety concept, the Bureau includes a
message that maximum waves may be twice the
significant wave height in all marine forecasts.
Most frequent, 'significant' and maximum wave
heights

When planning a voyage, mariners should not focus

exclusively on the significant wave height in a forecast. It
is equally important to recognise the concept of the wave
spectrum, know the definition of significant wave height,
and be able to determine the expected range of wave
heights.
Today, ocean currents are also gaining importance due to
the possibility of harnessing alternative energy. Because the
ocean water is dense, it carries enormous amount of energy
that could possibly be captured and converted into a usable
form through the use of turbine generators. They are
significant aspects to be studied by oceanographers,
climatologists, geographers, meteorologists, and other
marine scientists. Ocean currents have a tremendous
impact on the globe and earth’s hydrospheric and
atmospheric interactions. Oceanic currents are found all
over the globe.
All swells are created by wind blowing over the surface of the
ocean. As wind blows, waves begin to form. The strength,
duration, and area of ocean that the wind blows determines
how big the waves will be, how far they’ll travel, and how
much power they’ll still have once they reach shore.
When winds blows very strong, for a long time, over vast
distances (i.e. storms), the distance between waves becomes
longer and the energy driving the waves becomes greater.
This allows the waves to cover more distance.
The time of year is going to have a big influence on where the
storms are forming and how strong they’ll be.
The waves generated by a storm will lose energy as they
travel away from the source of the wind.
From there, they can combine with other swell, pick up more
energy, or dissipate.
How Swells Form?

A swell in the ocean is formed through a combination of

wind strength, wind duration and fetch. ​Wind strength​is
how fast the wind blows across the surface of the ocean. ​
Wind duration​is how long it blows without interruption. ​
Fetch​is the distance wind blows across the surface without
disruption from obstacles.
As wind blows across the water’s surface, friction occurs
and energy is transferred from wind to water. The result is a
rising crest that forms into a wave. Over time and distance,
sustained wind strength and duration build up a large
amount of energy beneath the ocean’s surface, forming
deeper waves known as swells.