Elephant Puppet looks at the waves-the sequel ๐
4Three types of water waves may be distinguished: wind waves and swell, wind surges, and sea waves of seismic origin (tsunamis). In addition, standing waves, or seiches, can occur in water bodies with enclosed or nearly enclosed basins, and internal waves, which appear as undulating layers of rapidly changing density with increasing depth, take place away from the waterโs surface.
The dependence of the sizes of the waves on the wind field is a complicated one. A general impression of this dependence is given by the descriptions of the various states of the sea corresponding to the scale of wind strengths known as the Beaufort scale, named after the British admiral Sir Francis Beaufort. He drafted it in 1808 using as his yardstick the surface of sail that a fully rigged warship of those days could carry in the various wind forces. When considering the descriptions of the sea surface, it must be remembered that the size of the waves depends not only on the strength of the wind but also on its duration and its fetchโi.e., the length of its path over the sea.