OBJECTIVES

  • Explain the parts of a wave.  
  • Simulate different types of waves.   
  • Demonstrate how waves form and explain their general characteristics.  
  • Identify the different parts of the coastal area and what happens in each one.   

VOCABULARY

  • Wave → movement of energy through water; a disturbance in the water that travels from one place to another.   
  • Crest/Peak → the highest point of a wave.   
  • Trough → the lowest point of a wave   
  • Flank → the area between the peak and the valley that faces in the direction of wave movement.  
  • Height → distance between peak and valley    
  • Length → distance between the peak (or trough) of two consecutive waves   
  • Period → the time between when it takes two consecutive wave peaks (or troughs) to pass through the same place.   

TYPE OF WAVES

  1. Wind waves → short-period waves created by wind blowing along the surface of the water. 
  2. Swells → waves created by the strong, sustained wind of a storm in the middle of the ocean; the waves move away from the storm and travel for miles until they reach land; long-period swells reach the coast in groups of 3 to 5 waves.  
  3. Storm surge → caused by a storm approaching the coast; the storm forces the water inland.  
  4. Tide → the rise and fall of the water level due to the planet's interaction with the moon and sun. 
  5. Tsunami → catastrophic waves usually caused by a sudden rise in water levels. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and underwater or coastal landslides can also increase the water levels.  
​Storm Surge — Moana Project 
​[Photograph]. (2018)
How a tsunami wave works | National Oceanography Centre ​[Photograph]. (2011)

​THE COAST 

  • Coastal morphology → study of the shape and structure of coastal systems.
  • Coastline → section of land adjacent to the water's edge that extends inland where coastal processes have no effect.  
  • Coastal area → the areas of land and water adjacent to the shore.  

PARTS OF THE COASTAL AREA​

  • Backshore → the area between where the water level is highest (high tide) and inland at the limit of marine activity; under normal conditions this area is dry; under storm conditions and strong winds, the water level reaches this area.  
  • Foreshore → the area between where the water level is highest (high tide) and the lowest water level (low tide); an area always covered by waves, commonly referred to as shoreline.
  • ​Nearshore → the area between the lowest water level and the point where waves do not affect the surrounding land (or bottom); the area where the waves break.  
  • Offshore → area after the point where the waves stop affecting the seabed.  

DEMONSTRATION​ 

The basic and general terminology is defined and presented, both in the laboratory and in the field of coastal study. 
​It is important to understand this terminology, as it serves as a tool to raise awareness about the situations currently affecting Puerto Rico’s coastal areas.  ​  
The module is divided into 3 parts: ​
  • Defining and characterizing a wave 
  • Explaining the characteristics of the different types of waves 
  • Defining and identifying the areas that give morphology on the coast.  ​ 
 - PRELIMINAR VIDEO. STILL UNDER PRODUCTION. -

KEY POINTS

  • A wave has different parts that help determine important characteristics, such as height and period. These are used in the study of the ocean and coasts.   
  • What determines the type of wave is the way it was created.  
  •  The tide is an extremely long wave that sweeps across the entire planet and causes a change in the water level around the world. 

Q&A: Waves and Coastal Morphology 

LATEST REVISION: FEBRUARY 2024