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  2. Breaking wave - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_wave

    The outcome is the rapid movement of the base of the wave up the swash slope and the disappearance of the wave crest. The front face and crest of the wave remain relatively smooth with little foam or bubbles, resulting in a very narrow surf zone, or no breaking waves at all. The short, sharp burst of wave energy means that the swash/backwash ...

  3. Crest and trough - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crest_and_trough

    A crest is a point on a surface wave where the displacement of the medium is at a maximum. A trough is the opposite of a crest, so the minimum or lowest point of the wave. When the crests and troughs of two sine waves of equal amplitude and frequency intersect or collide, while being in phase with each other, the result is called constructive ...

  4. Spur and groove formation - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spur_and_groove_formation

    Spur and groove formations are influenced by the incoming surface waves, and the waves induce a circulation pattern of counter rotating circulation cells. [ 2 ] The alongshore shape of spur and groove formations varies from smoothly varying rounded spurs, to flat spurs with shallow rectangular grooves, or deeply cut rectangular or overhanging ...

  5. Cetacean surfacing behaviour - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetacean_surfacing_behaviour

    Humpback whale breach sequence. A breach or a lunge is a leap out of the water, also known as cresting. The distinction between the two is fairly arbitrary: cetacean researcher Hal Whitehead defines a breach as any leap in which at least 40% of the animal's body clears the water, and a lunge as a leap with less than 40% clearance. [2]

  6. Fringing reef - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fringing_reef

    The upper segment of this slope is known as the reef crest. This crest enjoys an optimal balance of sunlight exposure and wave action, fostering the fastest coral growth in this area. Conversely, the base of the slope receives the least amount of sunlight and consequently exhibits the slowest growth among all sections of the slope. [5]

  7. Rip current - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rip_current

    When the wave breaks and starts reducing in height, the radiation stress decreases as the amount of water that is elevated decreases. When this happens, the mean surface level increases — this is known as the setup. In the formation of a rip current, a wave propagates over a sandbar with a gap in it.

  8. Rogue wave - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_wave

    Rogue waves do not appear to have a single distinct cause but occur where physical factors such as high winds and strong currents cause waves to merge to create a single large wave. [1] Recent research suggests sea state crest-trough correlation leading to linear superposition may be a dominant factor in predicting the frequency of rogue waves. [3]

  9. Surf zone - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_zone

    The surf zone or breaker zone is the nearshore part of a body of open water between the line at which the waves break and the shore. As ocean surface waves approach a shore, they interact with the bottom, get taller and steeper, and break, forming the foamy surface called surf. The region of breaking waves defines the surf zone.