Friday, February 12, 2010

True or False> The Earth's rotation is the main cause of the formation of ocean waves.?

Please answer fast! thank you!!!True or False%26gt; The Earth's rotation is the main cause of the formation of ocean waves.?
false





Waves and wind


How wind causes water to form waves is easy to understand although many intricate details still lack a satisfactory theory. On a perfectly calm sea, the wind has practically no grip. As it slides over the water surface film, it makes it move. As the water moves, it forms eddies and small ripples. Ironically, these ripples do not travel exactly in the direction of the wind but as two sets of parallel ripples, at angles 70-80潞 to the wind direction. The ripples make the water's surface rough, giving the wind a better grip. The ripples, starting at a minimum wave speed of 0.23 m/s, grow to wavelets and start to travel in the direction of the wind. At wind speeds of 4-6 knots (7-11 km/hr), these double wave fronts travel at about 30潞 from the wind. The surface still looks glassy overall but as the wind speed increases, the wavelets become high enough to interact with the air flow and the surface starts to look rough. The wind becomes turbulent just above the surface and starts transferring energy to the waves. Strong winds are more turbulent and make waves more easily.





The rougher the water becomes, the easier it is for the wind to transfer its energy. The waves become steep and choppy. Further away from the shore, the water's surface is not only stirred by the wind but also by waves arriving with the wind. These waves influence the motion of the water particles such that opposing movements gradually cancel out, whereas synchronising movements are enhanced. The waves start to become more rounded and harmonious. Depending on duration and distance (fetch), the waves develop into a fully developed sea.





Anyone familiar with the sea, knows that waves never assume a uniform, harmonious shape. Even when the wind has blown strictly from one direction only, the resulting water movement is made up of various waves, each with a different speed and height. Although some waves are small, most waves have a certain height and sometimes a wave occurs which is much higher.True or False%26gt; The Earth's rotation is the main cause of the formation of ocean waves.?
False.





Wind is the largest contributor.
false.

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