Waves, Currents and Tides

by | Mar 29, 2017

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Waves are created by energy passing through water.  However, water does not actually travel in waves – the waves transmit energy, but not water. Other than tsunamis, waves on the surface of a body of water such as the ocean are caused by the wind.  No wind = no waves.  Lots of wind = lots of waves.

Currents are a large movement of water in one direction.  Currents can be permanent or temporary.  They can be local or global in scale. They can be deep or shallow. There are numerous causes of currents such as differences in water temperature and salinity. Ripe tide currents around beaches are often caused by waves of different intensities breaking on the shore.  The rip tide currents occur to keep the water level even.

Tides are when the sea rises and falls along the shore.  These occur due to the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun.

Source: http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-news/currents-waves-and-tides-ocean-motion

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