Big waves

Design a blog post on your blog of a big wave site from different parts of the world. Be sure to describe the geography and the topography of the ocean floor in these areas and how this helps create these massive waves. check out http://www.extremehorizon.com/surf-shop/big_waves.html for big waves around the world. (Donoldson and I are doing it together!!!)

Belharra Statistics: Wave: Belharra, aka Mammouth  Where: Off the coast of Saint Jean-de-Luz, Basque Country, France When: Hit headlines in 2003, but known by locals for well over 10 years beforehand. Why: One of the best big waves in Europe Stats: Starts breaking at 12ft, can reach heights of 60ft+, and no one knows how big it could get.

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The wave is generated by huge storms out in the Atlantic which bombard the south western coast of France usually during the winter months.  Belharra is created by massive swells hitting the rock reef approximately 15ft below sea level when it's low tide.  The rock shelf forces the enormous swells up into an explosive breaking wave, which produces the roaring fast moving wave faces that big wave riders live for.
Lying approximately 2km of the coast of Saint Jean-de-Luz in the French Basque Country lies the titan wave Belharra. Accessible only by boat or jetski, this rock-reef break only raises its head a handful of times a year- but what a day it is when it does.

The Belharra is formed because there is a steep coral reef on a steep cliff face which comes out of the water instantly. This Natural phenomenon that when it occurs it mainly creates a "Big Wave" but these conditions are not all that is needed to make a "big wave" there are also whether conditions that need to occur for one of these monsters to occur. 

Someone Surfing the belharra showing the size of this Monster

Year 9: The Science of Big Waves

1. Where do ocean waves come from? What gets them started?  In fluid dynamics, wind waves or, more precisely, wind-generated waves are surface waves that occur on the free surface of oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and canals or even on small puddles and ponds. They usually result from the wind blowing over a vast enough stretch of fluid surface. Waves in the oceans can travel thousands of miles before reaching land. Wind waves range in size from small ripples to huge waves over 30 meters high. When directly being generated and affected by the local winds, a wind wave system is called a wind sea. After the wind ceases to blow, wind waves are called swell. Or, more generally, a swell consists of wind generated waves that are not—or hardly—affected by the local wind at that time. They have been generated elsewhere, or some time ago. Wind waves in the ocean are called ocean surface waves                                                        .                                                                                  Motion of a particle in a wind wave.
   A = At deep water. The orbital motion of fluid particles decreases rapidly with increasing depth below the surface.
   B = At shallow water (sea floor is now at B). The elliptical movement of a fluid particle flattens with decreasing depth.
   1 = Propagation direction.
   2 = Wave crest.
   3 = Wave trough.
2. What do you think a surfer should know about waves before they try and ride a wave while surfing? yes

1. Observe all the waves that you see and describe how they form and break. Use as many words found in the segment for you descriptions. All of the waves have some underwater reef or rock bed raising the wave higher
2. Describe how waves are formed, how they originate, and how they are measured? waves are mainly formed by the wind blowing a gale over the surface of the ocean
3. What is a maverick wave and what is special about the way it is formed? A maverick wave is formed at half moon bay in northern California and has a rock bed that if the wave comes in at a certain angle it creates the Mavericks
4. How is energy stored and transferred during wave? Energy is stored between the bottom and top of the wave and is transferred when it crashes
5. List any kind of advice given by the surfers about how to survive these “big waves.” Be respectful, get out before it crashes, only be a pro

Quiz #2

7.3

aeolian -  processes pertain to the activity of the winds and more specifically, to the winds' ability to shape the surface of the Earth and other planets.

spinifex -  is a genus of perennial coastal grasses. They are one of the most common plants that grow in sand dunes along the coasts of Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia.

constructive waves small low-energy waves that deposit sand onto beaches 

corrasion occurs when waves crash over rock shelves and move rock and other material helping to erode the rock shelf away

corrosion the action of salt on minerals like iron that are contained in rock, weakening the rock and making it more susceptible to erosion

refraction the bending of waves around headlands and into bays

deposition the depositing of sand and rock particles caused by wind and wave action forming features such as beaches destructive waves

erosion the removal of rock and sand particles as a result of wind and wave action

hydraulic action where waves enter cracks in rocks, air is compressed by the force of the water causing erosion and forming features such as blow holes

longshore drift the process, caused by waves hitting the coast at an angle, that is responsible for moving sand along the coast

Quiz #1

7.1

breakwaters Constructed at the entrances to rivers, they extend into the ocean in order to stabilise river entrances and provide safe access for boating by keeping the river entrance clear of sand build-up. However, these breakwaters can act to dramatically alter patterns of erosion, transportation and deposition of sand along the coastline.

silting - will make the beaches have lower depth and may close off some beaches like fresh water en which they have a narrow opening

tidal flushing - action of saltwater entering an estuary twice a day during the high tides. It renews the salinity and nutrients to the estuary and removes artificially introduced toxins in the environment.

sea change  the phenomenon of increasing migration to, and suburbanisation of, any coast, particularly those areas outside the primary urban metropolitan centres

urban stormwater the stormwater from urban areas will go to the sea so if they are polluted then so is the sea

dredging is an excavation activity or operation usually carried out at least partly underwater, in shallow seas or fresh water areas with the purpose of gathering up bottom sediments and disposing of them at a different location. This technique is often used to keep waterways navigable.

introduced plants introduced plants are plants that aren't native to that nation and will usually take over the native population.

7.2

ground swell - a broad, deep swell or rolling of the sea, due to a distant storm or gale.

plunging waves - Break on beaches where the slope is moderately steep. Board riders like these waves because of the tubes they form

spilling waves - Break far from the shore on beaches with gentle slopes. The surf (white foam) gently rolls over the front so these waves are good for body surfing

surging waves - Occur on very steep beaches. The waves roll up the steep face rather than breaking over it. They cause erosion.

wind swell - In fluid dynamics, wind waves or, more precisely, wind-generated waves are surface waves that occur on the free surface of oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and canals or even on small puddles and ponds. They usually result from the wind blowing over a vast enough stretch of fluid surface.wave height the height of waves

wavelength the distance between waves

fetch the distance that wind travels over the ocean to form waves

surf and swash zonethe active part of the coast in terms of erosion and deposition of sand by wave action; the surf zone is immediately adjacent to the coast and the swash zone is at the shore once the waves have broken