Ocean Movement - Waves and Tides

The ocean is never still. Energy travels through water continuously, fueled by the natural forces of gravity, the Sun, and wind. Some of this energy travels in the form of individual waves, like the ones you see crashing on the beach or the ones you feel underneath you in a boat. These waves can be small or large, but they all share similar characteristics. Waves are measured by their height, length, period, and frequency.

If you have ever spent an entire day by the ocean or bay then you have seen another way that energy travels through the oceans. The gravitational pushing and pulling by the Moon and Sun causes tides, or the massive movement of water which causes the sea level to rise and fall. Tides are actually a type of wave. Specific alignments of the Earth, Sun, and Moon can create spring tides and neap tides. Even with these influences, oceanographers are able to predict when low tide and high tide may occur daily in an area.

Essential Questions

• What is a wave?
• What are the crest, trough, height, wavelength, period, and frequency of a wave?
• What causes tidal changes?
• What are the tidal patterns of the world?