the energy from the wind into the water.The stronger the wind is the more amount of push force and energy transfer there is to the waves, which causes larger waves. These waves continue to carry that energy which was transferred to them - kinetic energy - for long distances. The water works as a medium which the energy passes through while the water moves in a circular motion. (10)
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The faster the wind is out at sea, the
| stronger the waves will be. Another huge factor of wave strength is the time of the wind. The longer the length of time that the wind has been hitting the wave, the stronger it will be. The last big factor in determining wave strength is the distance of the wind. The longer distance the wind travels against the wave the bigger it will be. (This is known as fetch). (10) Out in the middle of the ocean the waves begin to merge together and create many big waves which is known as a swell (as explained previously). As the waves move toward the shore, the ocean gets shallower which make the wave's height increase because it needs room to expand. Eventually the wave gets so big it can't support itself and it starts to fall which is what is happening when the top of the wave has white foam.
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Tsunamis is Japanese for "harbor waves". Tsunamis are created by a big disruption on the earths crust. There are many different possibilities as to what can cause a tsunami.
One example is an undersea earthquake. These happen at the Earths
tectonic plates, just like most above ground earthquakes do, and they
cause the surface of the ocean to rise and fall. This can lead to the
formation of tsunami waves. Eruptions from volcanoes under the sea can
also cause the sufficient force needed to lift up a portion of water and
create a tsunami. Lastly, undersea landslides can cause tsunami waves
because as the water is displaced it tries to find a stable position
which leads to tsunami waves. (7) These waves are very small in the middle of the ocean but by the time they hit shore they're length can be up to 125 miles long and speed may exceed 435 miles per hour! Some people may seek out these waves to surf them but that is extremely dangerous. There is technology that allows scientists to predict where tsunami's will hit but not when they will occur.
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