Waves in the deep parts of the sea move like ripples on the surface of the water. When they near land and enter shallow water, they slow down, because deep water always moves faster than shallow water.
Waves also grow higher as they near a shore, for in effect the sea bottom is “rising” as the water gets shallower, pushing the crest of the wave above the surface of the water.
As waves approach land, they move more quickly than the troughs, the spaces between wave crests, because the waves are deeper than the troughs.
Eventually, a wave “catches up” to the trough in front of it and topples over, or “breaks,” spilling its water up onto the beach in the form of foamy white surf.
Related Posts
-
Why do Waves Always Break Parallel To the Shore?
Waves can tell when they're approaching a shore and actually turn to line up with it. What makes waves, of course, is wind blowing across the water's surface. But it can't be that…
-
How Far Do Waves In the Ocean Travel Before They Lose Energy and Why Do Waves Get Smaller After a While?
Waves traveling in a fluid are not infinite. They lose energy because the passing of a wave causes an upwards and downwards displacement of the water, and hence there is always an associated…
-
What Are Radio Waves and What Do Radio Waves Have To Do With Radios and Astronomy?
Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum longer than infrared light. Radio waves certainly have a lot to do with radios and astronomy. People cannot see…
-
Why Does a Glass Break When You Pour Boiling Water in It?
Most things get a little bigger when they are heated, even though you probably cannot notice it. If you were to place a glass in a pan of water and heat the water…
-
Why Did Someone Break Into A Prison In Geelong Australia?
In January, 1936, a prison in the Australian city of Geelong experienced a jailbreak of a most unusual kind. There have been many instances of convicts breaking out of jail. But on this…
-
Why do Windshields and Windows on Cars Break Into So Many Tiny Pieces?
Preventing the scatter of fragments is relatively easy. The windshield is actually a sandwich, with glass "bread" and an elastic plastic "ham" that can be indented without cracking. When the bowling ball hits…
