Post on 07-Jan-2016
description
Waves and Surf
Water MovementOcean waters move in patterns like the windThese patterns exist because of where our continents layThese patterns are called OCEAN CURRENTS
Message In A Bottle
Making WavesWaves 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 blowsHow hard the wind blowsHow big the area is
Waves Moving to ShoreThe 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 ShapeWaves 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 shallowThese waves can be powerful but generally are not steep and good learning wavesExample: 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 HBDuring 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 WorldAlong 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
shelf
New Sea FloorOur continents drift on enormous plates (tectonic plates)The plates crash into one another and others move away from one anotherIn some places, new sea floor is being createdIn other places, old sea floor is being pushed back under the earth
Mid Atlantic TrenchAs lava creeps up from deep in the Earth, new sea floor is being madeOver time, the sea floor moves outward towards the continents
Old Sea FloorIn other parts of the world, tectonic plates crash into one anotherThis is where old sea floor is being forced back into the EarthThis is how many mountains are formed (Himalayan Mountains)Example: Japan, Oregon, South America