Making Waves
Scott Wall
The consensus of oceanographers is that ocean waves are predominately caused by wind and supplemented by a few other sources. The following are said to be the causative forces behind ocean waves:
- wind
- gravitational pull of the sun and moon
- wave shoaling (by entering shallower waters)
- wave refractions (from bathymetry and currents)
- variations in wind and atmospheric pressure (seiches)
- displacement waves (from boat wakes, landslides, etc.)
- interactions with sea ice and icebergs (dampening effect)
- gravity (dampening effect)
- viscosity (dampening effect)
This paper intends to examine the efficacy of these forces in generating the gamut of ocean waves.
