Waves and Surf

Water Movement  Ocean waters move in patterns like the wind  These patterns exist because of where our continents lay  These patterns are called “OCEAN CURRENTS”  Ocean waters move in patterns like the wind  These patterns exist because of where our continents lay  These patterns are called “OCEAN CURRENTS”

Message In A Bottle

Making Waves  Waves are made of energy coming from winds blowing on the ocean surface  3 things tell us how big waves will be:  How long the wind blows  How hard the wind blows  How big the area is  Waves are made of energy coming from winds blowing on the ocean surface  3 things tell us how big waves will be:  How long the wind blows  How hard the wind blows  How big the area is

Waves Moving to Shore  The “energy” moves to shore along currents  As it reaches shore, it forms a wave along the shallow waters  As the water gets more shallow, the wave grows bigger  The “energy” moves to shore along currents  As it reaches shore, it forms a wave along the shallow waters  As the water gets more shallow, the wave grows bigger

Anatomy of a wave

Wave Shape  Waves break on shore in different ways  The bottom conditions determine what kind of waves we will have  A gradual sloping bottom will make different waves than a steep bottom  Waves break on shore in different ways  The bottom conditions determine what kind of waves we will have  A gradual sloping bottom will make different waves than a steep bottom

 Spilling Waves happen when the bottom gradually gets more shallow  These waves can be powerful but generally are not steep and good learning waves  Example: HB, Doheny, and San Onofre,

 Plunging Waves (Barrels) occur when the bottom goes from deep to shallow very quickly  Example: The Wedge

Surfs up in HB  During the summer, our waves generally come from the Southwest (New Zealand, Fiji, and Indonesia)  During the winter, our waves come from the Northwest (Alaska and Japan)  Hurricanes in Mexico also send us large surf  During the summer, our waves generally come from the Southwest (New Zealand, Fiji, and Indonesia)  During the winter, our waves come from the Northwest (Alaska and Japan)  Hurricanes in Mexico also send us large surf

Ocean Bottoms Around the World  Along our continents, there is shallow water that extends for miles out to sea  This is called the Continental Shelf  Most shelves slope gradually  Have an average depth of 200 feet  Along our continents, there is shallow water that extends for miles out to sea  This is called the Continental Shelf  Most shelves slope gradually  Have an average depth of 200 feet

shelf

New Sea Floor  Our continents drift on enormous plates (tectonic plates)  The plates crash into one another and others move away from one another  In some places, new sea floor is being created  In other places, old sea floor is being pushed back under the earth  Our continents drift on enormous plates (tectonic plates)  The plates crash into one another and others move away from one another  In some places, new sea floor is being created  In other places, old sea floor is being pushed back under the earth

Mid Atlantic Trench  As lava creeps up from deep in the Earth, new sea floor is being made  Over time, the sea floor “moves” outward towards the continents  As lava creeps up from deep in the Earth, new sea floor is being made  Over time, the sea floor “moves” outward towards the continents

Old Sea Floor  In other parts of the world, tectonic plates crash into one another  This is where old sea floor is being forced back into the Earth  This is how many mountains are formed (Himalayan Mountains)  Example: Japan, Oregon, South America