WAVES AND BEACHES

WAVES AND BEACHES

1. WAVES= CAUSED BY WIND BLOWING OVER THE OCEAN

   • BUILD UP OVER TIME- STORM WAVES GET BIGGER OVER SEVERAL DAYS

2. WAVES APPROACHING

   • 1- WAVES BECOMES MORE SHALLOW AND THE CIRCULAR ORBIT OF THE WATER PARTICLES CHANGE TO AN ELLIPTICAL SHAPE
     • 2- THE WAVELENGTH AND VELOCITY DECREASE AND HIGHT INCREASES CAUSING WATER TO BACK UP FROM BEHIND
       • 3- FORCE PUSHES THE WAVE HIGHER SO IT BCOMES STEEPER BEFORE SPILLING
         • 4- WATER RUSHES UP THE BEACH AS SWASH AND FLOWS BACK AS BACKWASH

3. SWELL WAVES

   • SOME WAVES ORIGINATE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN
     • THE GREATER THE FETCH THE LARGER THE WAVE

4. CONSTRUCTIVE WAVE

   • LONG WAVELENGTH
     • STRONG SWASH
       • WEAK BACKWASH, BEACH GAIN

5. DESTRUCTIVE

   • OPPOSITE

6. WINTER

   • BERMS= ERODED BY HIGH ENERGY SWASH, STRONG BACKWASH

7. SUMMER

   • SWASH DEPOSITS MATERIAL AT THE TOP OF THE BEACH= BERM
     • BERM BUILDS UP, WEAKER BACKWASH BEACH MATERIAL= SMALLER TOWARD COASTLINE