Oceanwave

An ocean wave is a surface wave generated by the transfer of energy from wind to the sea surface. Waves are characterized by properties such as height, wavelength, period, and direction, and they appear as alternating crests and troughs that propagate across the water surface.

Most ocean waves are wind-generated, though some originate from seismic or underwater landslide events called tsunamis. The behavior of a wave depends on water depth: in deep water, wave phase speed is approximately c = sqrt(g λ / 2π); in shallow water, speed approaches sqrt(g h). As waves move into shallower water they slow, shorten wavelength, and increase height, often leading to breaking near coastlines.

Types include wind waves and swells, the latter being longer-period waves that have traveled from their generation area; capillary waves are small-scale ripples on the surface. Tsunamis are long-wavelength, high-energy waves produced by abrupt seafloor displacement and typically have small amplitudes offshore but grow nearshore.

Oceanographers measure waves using buoys, coastal radar, and satellite altimetry, while spectral analysis helps describe a sea state. Harnessing wave energy is an area of research for renewable power, though practical deployments face challenges.

Waves shape coastlines through erosion and sediment transport, influence navigation and offshore engineering, and pose hazards such as rip currents and rogue waves, which are unusually large and unpredictable events.