How to Describe Water Waves

Spilling breakers roll in behind this surfer.

Generated by wind or other forces, water waves are everywhere -- in oceans, rivers, ponds, lakes, rain puddles, bathtubs, sinks and even your morning cup of coffee. Yet you may not have the words to describe these fascinating natural phenomena that are so much a part of our lives. Although you can learn a lot from scientists, especially oceanographers and physicists, you do not need to be or become one in order to learn the language of water waves.

Instructions

1. Educate yourself a little about the science concerning the origins and journeys of water waves. This knowledge will help you understand and appreciate why and how different kinds of waves arise. Although water is very heavy, just a small amount of wind far out at sea is sufficient to generate the waves that ceaselessly roll into every coast on Earth. Waves combine with others of like frequency, that is, the time between the crest of one wave and the next. Some eventually reach continental and island shores, with their final shapes, sizes, force and other characteristics depending on such factors as weather conditions and coastlines' local geological features, like beach slope.

2. Learn the various names that scientists use to classify water waves. For example, tsunamis are enormous, unusually destructive waves arising from sea floor earthquakes. However, the other kinds of ocean waves are wind-generated, including rogue waves, remarkably high, dangerous waves that arise out at sea from a combination of high winds and strong currents. When a light breeze ruffles a length of the ocean called a fetch, the small ripples that accumulate into larger waves are called catspaws. As waves enter shallow water and near the land, they are named breakers. Surging breakers break one at a time against steeply sloping rock. Plunging breakers take place in a single row at a time against steeply sloping sand. Gently sloping beaches give rise to multiple rows of spilling breakers, the most common kind.

3. Read up on surfer slang. Not only is it fun and colorful, surfers study and classify waves as carefully as any scientist. Their performance and their lives depend on their powers of observation. Not surprisingly, surfers have created many words to describe waves, especially breakers. For example, "tube" is surfer lingo for a breaker that creates a tunnel as it curves over. It is the source of the widespread 1980s expression "tubular," meaning "excellent."

Tips & Warnings

• Consider taking physics, oceanography and/or surfing classes if you want to more deeply understand the science and language of water waves.

References

• Action Sports Maui: How Waves Are Made; David Dorn
• The Economist: Rogue Waves-Monsters of the Deep; 17 September 2009
• Indiana Public Media: A Moment of Science: How Ocean Waves Form; William Orem; 10 May 2010
• Oceans Alive!: Wind and Waves
• Sea Friends New Zealand: Oceanography: Waves; J. Floor Anthoni; 2000
• TalkSurfing.co.uk: Surfing Lingo

Resources

• Dickinson College: Water Waves
• Indiana Public Media: Why Do Ocean Waves Sound The Way They Do?; William Orem; 28 Sept. 2010
• Kettering University: Longitudinal and Transverse Wave Motion; Dan Russell
• Open Water Rowing Center: Water Waves; Michael Konrad
• Riptionary: Surf Lingo Lexicon
• United States Geological Survey: Life of a Tsunami