The United States Wave Height image shows the expected wave
height for coastal areas for the current day. Ocean surface
waves are surface waves that occur in the upper layer of the
ocean. They usually result from wind or geologic effects and may
travel thousands of miles before striking land. They range in
size from small ripples to huge tsunamis. There is little actual
forward motion of individual water particles in a wave, despite
the large amount of energy and momentum it may carry forward.
The great majority of large breakers one sees on an ocean beach
result from distant winds. Three factors influence the formation
of "wind waves": - wind speed - distance of open water that the
wind has blown over; called fetch, and - time duration the wind
has blown over a given area. All of these factors work together
to determine the size and shape of ocean waves. The greater each
of the variables, the larger the waves. Waves are characterized
by: - Height (from trough to crest), - Wavelength (from crest to
crest), -