Question #f8293
1 Answer
A large component of wave production is the wind.
Explanation:
If you go to the seashore on a day when the general wind direction if called "off shore" the resulting wave action will be small to none. If the winds are "on shore," and depending upon the strength of the winds, the waves will form as the action of the wind moving across the water's surface.
In unusual circumstances, waves are produced by something other than the wind. Most notable is the tsunami where an undersea earthquake causes a pulse of energy which moves out in all directions for the epicenter.
The final part of this is that waves have an inherent amount of energy. As a wave approaches the shore that energy becomes compressed as the depth of water decreases. That energy will continue to push the water towards the shore until it is entirely dissipated.
