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Wave trapping is the result of the Earth's rotation and its spherical shape which combine to cause the magnitude of the Coriolis force to increase rapidly away from the equator. Equatorial waves are present in both the tropical atmosphere and ocean and play an important role in the evolution of many climate phenomena such as El Niño.
P waves travel with motion in the same direction as the wave propagates and S waves travel with motion perpendicular to the wave propagation (transverse). [ 6 ] The P waves are refracted by the liquid outer core of the Earth and are not detected between 104° and 140° (between approximately 11,570 and 15,570 km or 7,190 and 9,670 mi) from the ...
Internal tides are generated as the surface tides move stratified water up and down sloping topography, which produces a wave in the ocean interior. So internal tides are internal waves at a tidal frequency. The other major source of internal waves is the wind which produces internal waves near the inertial frequency.
Due to the relatively small density differences (and thus small restoring forces) over the ocean depth, ocean internal waves may reach amplitudes up to around 100 m. [5] Analogous to surface wave breaking in the region known as the surf zone, internal breaking waves dissipate energy in what is known as the internal surf zone. [7]
Topographic Rossby waves are one of two types of geophysical waves named after the meteorologist Carl-Gustaf Rossby. The other type of Rossby waves are called planetary Rossby waves and have a different physical origin. Planetary Rossby waves form due to the changing Coriolis parameter over the earth. Rossby waves are quasi-geostrophic ...
As the ratio of wave amplitude to water depth becomes such that the wave “feels the bottom,” water at the base of the wave slows down due to friction with the sea floor. This causes the wave to become asymmetrical and the face of the wave to steepen, and finally the wave will break, propagating forward as an internal bore.
Atmospheric Rossby waves on Earth are giant meanders in high-altitude winds that have a major influence on weather. These waves are associated with pressure systems and the jet stream (especially around the polar vortices). [2] Oceanic Rossby waves move along the thermocline: the boundary between the warm upper layer and the cold deeper part of ...
Some of the important wave processes are refraction, diffraction, reflection, wave breaking, wave–current interaction, friction, wave growth due to the wind, and wave shoaling. In the absence of the other effects, wave shoaling is the change of wave height that occurs solely due to changes in mean water depth – without alterations in wave ...