GEOL 3070 Lecture 12: Oceanography Notes-- Waves at Shore
8 Mar 2017
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Exam 2: learning goals, outline with key concepts italicized, exam 1 right and wrong answers. Water at crest is moving faster than at the base & wave breaks: break occurs at height: depth ratio of 3:4 surf zone , plunging waves, spilling waves: gradual bottom slope; break over long distances. **waves weaken if energy is lost on the way to shore** Friction lost a little with a very gradual slope. Friction especially lost with a rough bottom (coral, gravel) Absorption by seaweed beds: wave refraction: bending due to the changing water depth, shallower part of wave slows, deeper part catches up . Lecture 12: waves at the shore: wave energy, use water turbines to convert kinetic energy of waves into power, us technically recoverable" wave energy = ~1000twh/yr (enough to power 90m homes, ex. Tsunami: waves created by a seismic disturbance (earthquake, landslide) An unusual, rapid sea level drop is a good warning sign of an impeding tsunami.
