4.10 Waves in the Water Lesson

​Waves in the Water

​Most waves are caused by wind blowing across the water.

Waves then start out as ripple that grow into waves.

Ripples - a small wave on the surface of the water.

​Observe the rock hitting the water. See how some of the water drops create little circular ripples? Notice the waves(ripples) interacting.
Observe - to watch

Multiple Choice

What are ripples?

• large ocean waves

• fish that live near the shore

• rocks under the water

• small waves on the surface of the water

Multiple Choice

Most waves are caused by

• earthquakes.

• wind blowing across the water's surface.

• rain hitting the surface of the water.

• fish swimming under the surface.

​The ball moves up and down. It bobs up and down but the ball does not move forward.

​As a wave approaches the shallow. It behaves differently, it leaves the ducks on the shore. In the ocean a wave can throw rocks and sand onto the shore.
shallow - not deep behave - to act in a certain way.

Multiple Choice

What does shallow mean?

• not deep

• very deep

• super fast

• a giant shark

​The biggest waves happen in the middle of the ocean where the water is deep because this is where the wind blows the strongest.
Most waves are around 2m high but the highest open water wave was 34m high.

​Here is what a giant open ocean wave looks like. The wave is about 23 meters tall.

​This is a tsunami - a very large ocean wave. Most tsunamis are caused by earthquakes.

Multiple Choice

What is a Tsunami?

• A wave caused by wind

• A giant wave usually caused by an Earthquake

• a ripple in the water

• A food from Canada

Multiple Choice

A wave is a movement of ____ from one place to another.

• energy

• sand

• water

• people

​In a tsunami the energy of the wave pushes the shallow water inland.
In a tsunami you should take shelter on hills or in taller strong buildings 2 km inland and 33m or higher above sea level.

Multiple Choice

How far inland should you be is a tsunami is coming?

• 2 km

• 1 km

• 5m

• 20m

​Scientist use seismic waves to help predict when a tsunami will come ashore.
seismic - to do with earthquakes.
forecast - to tell ahead of time what will happen.

​This is a seismograph recording an earthquake in iceland. These machines help forecast tsunamis and warn people to move to higher ground.

​The motion of the waves caries energy and this can be made into electricity.

​Wave Power

​The energy of the waves turns a generator to make electricity.

electricity - a form of power.

generator - a machine used to produce electricity.

pollution - something dirty or harmful

​Engineers are working on making wave power generators cheap, efficient and reliable.

engineer - a person who plans things to be built.

Wave power produces little or no pollution.

​Waves can also be fun! This person is surfing a giant wave.

Surfing is a popular sport where you ride a board on the waves.

​This surfer is riding inside the tube of the wave - it is called barrelling.

​A surfboard is used to surf the waves. It often has fins that make it easier to ride and control.