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DEEP OCEAN WAVES PROFESSIONAL
DEEP OCEAN WAVES SERIES

They so are VAST you can see them from space.

Now that we understand that internal waves occur because density changes, why are they so cool? Here’s a short list: Between these infinite number of density layers are an infinite number of interfaces where internal waves occur. Sea water becomes denser the deeper it is, and we can think of the ocean as being made up of an infinite number of tiny layers each having a different density. At the sea surface the interface is where air and water meet, two fluids with two different densities. In many ways they are similar to waves you see at the beach, they undulate, have crests and troughs, and even break! But since internal waves occur deep in the ocean rather than at the sea surface, they have some unique characteristics.įirst, what is the difference between a surface wave and an internal wave? Both waves occur at the interface between two fluids of different densities, but these interfaces are different for the two waves. I didn’t even know they existed until I went to graduate school. If you are like most people (or even most marine scientists), you probably haven’t even heard of an internal wave. These are the biggest waves in the ocean and they can’t be seen from shore.

DEEP OCEAN WAVES PROFESSIONAL

And not just that puny Hawaiian surf that is often tossing professional surfers. But as a physical oceanographer, when I look at the ocean I think about completely different phenomena.

When asked what lies beneath the surface of the ocean, most people think of the various numbers of terrifying sea beasties that lurk there. You can find her on Twitter Make sure to comment below and welcome her to DSN. Kim is a physical oceanographer working at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and as the post reveals below is interested in deep-ocean waves. In 1960, great tsunami waves generated in Chile reached Japan, more than 16,800 km away in less than 24 hours, killing hundreds of people.I am very excited to introduce Kim Martini as guest blogger here at DSN. At such high speeds, a tsunami generated in Aleutian Islands may reach Hawaii in less than four and a half hours. Since the average depth of the Pacific ocean is 4000 m (14,000 feet), tsunami wave speed will average about 200 m/s or over 700 km/h (500 mph). The deeper the water, the greater the speed of tsunami waves will be.įor example, at the deepest ocean depths the tsunami wave speed will be as much as 800 km/h, about the same as that of a jet aircraft. Tsunami waves in the deep ocean can travel at high speeds for long periods of time for distances of thousands of kilometers and lose very little energy in the process. In the deep ocean, the height of the tsunami from trough to crest may be only a few centimeters to a meter or more - again depending on the generating source. On the open ocean, the wavelength of a tsunami may be as much as two hundred kilometers, many times greater than the ocean depth, which is on the order of a few kilometers. As the waves approach the coast, their wavelength decreases and wave height increases. The wave crests of a tsunami can range from a few to a hundred kilometers or more apart as they travel across the ocean.

The period of the tsunami waves may range from 5 to 90 minutes. If the tsunami is caused by a local landslide, both its initial wavelength and period will be shorter. If the tsunami is generated from a large earthquake over a large area, its initial wavelength and period will be greater.

The wavelength of the tsunami waves and their period will depend on the generating mechanism and the dimensions of the source event. The waves will travel outward on the surface of the ocean in all directions away from the source area, much like the ripples caused by throwing a rock into a pond.

DEEP OCEAN WAVES SERIES

A tsunami is made up of a series of very long waves. Once a tsunami has been generated, its energy is distributed throughout the water column, regardless of the ocean's depth. How does tsunami energy travel across the ocean and how far can tsunamis waves reach?