Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
32 dead, 27 girls at camp missing after catastrophic flooding in Texas. Read the latest Chevron right
Tropical Storm Chantal forms in Atlantic before landfall in South Carolina. Get details Chevron right

Columbus, OH

91°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

91°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars
Air Quality Alert

News / Weather News

Science of Summer: How Do Ocean Waves Form?

By Erin Cassidy, AccuWeather staff writer

Published Jul 27, 2013 8:00 AM EDT | Updated Jul 29, 2013 8:03 AM EDT

Copied

Editor's Note: In this weekly series, LiveScience looks at scientific aspects of the summer season.

One of summer's greatest pleasures for the lucky beachgoer is listening to the rhythmic lapping of ocean waves. A number of factors power this trance-inducing phenomenon, but the most important generator of local wave activity is actually the wind.

"The main driver or cause of waves is wind," said Wayne Presnell, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service Marine and Coastal Services Branch.

Presnell explained that wind speed and duration help in determining the size and frequency of ocean waves. Another factor is called "fetch," referring to the span of water over which a breeze blows, and the longer a fetch, the more energy a wave can build up. [See Photos of Monster Waves]

"Fetch has some effect on waves at the beach," said Presnell, "but mostly the ones you see playing there are generated by local wind and the wind speed for that day."

Seeing the wave action To get a sense of wind-created waves, simply blow over a bowl of liquid, for instance. A series of waves will follow your exhalation's path

Even when wind is blowing out to sea, waves still come ashore as a result of the shape of the ocean basins.

"That's the general motion of the ocean, if you will — it pushes water toward the shore," said Presnell. Envision the sloshing in a bathtub, Presnell explained: When some force is added to the water, the sloshing heads toward the edge of the tub and then goes into a back-and-forth motion.

Forming a breaker

The wave visible above the level of the water is in fact only part of the wave; the wave extends down through the water column to the ocean floor as well.

Waves start out in the deep, open ocean as relatively vertical in shape, Presnell said. As a wave travels toward the shore, though, the bottom part of the wave drags along the ocean floor.

The upper part of the wave above the water line starts to move faster than the rest of the wave. As the ocean depth decreases closer to shore, the drag on the wave's bottom becomes stronger, and the upper part of the wave begins to tilt forward.

At a certain point, the wave tilts enough that it curls over, creating what is called a breaker and showing off the characteristic, rolling shape of a crashing wave, Presnell explained.

The area between the shore and the first line of breaking waves at the beach is known as the surf zone. "The surf zone is where people do most of their activities, like fishing and swimming — it's where most people go and have fun at the beach," Presnell told LiveScience.

Watch out for the rips

All that ocean water being thrown up on the beach by the waves must flow back out. This outflow does not happen uniformly, because the water will return to the sea where it is easiest to do so, such as through a break or dip in sandbars offshore, or near a pier or jetty.

In these situations, strong "rip currents" can develop that put swimmers at risk of drowning. [The Science of Rip Currents (Infographic)]

"As water comes up on shore it loses momentum and energy and it has to go back toward the ocean," said Presnell. "A rip current is caused when certain things on the ocean floor funnel that water into a narrow stream." Rip currents often appear frothier or darker than surrounding water, which helps swimmers (and lifeguards) spot them.

In order to escape a rip current, swimmers should not try to swim straight back to shore, because they will be fighting the current and exhausting themselves. Instead, swimmers should aim to get free of the narrow rip current by moving parallel or diagonally to shore. Alerting a lifeguard, if one is on duty, is also a good idea.

"Yell for help, and draw attention to yourself," said Presnell. "Then do your best to get back to shore by swimming parallel or at an angle where you don't feel the resistance."

Before frolicking in the waves, consult a lifeguard or other information source at the beach to get information about that day's conditions and if rip currents are expected.

"The first thing to do or remember is to check on the condition of the ocean before you go in there," said Presnell. "Know what you're getting into before you get into it."

Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.

  • Stunning Sands Gallery: A Rainbow of Beaches

  • The Surprisingly Strange Physics of Water

  • Gallery: The 10 Strangest Places on Earth

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Report a Typo

Weather News

Weather News

32 dead in Texas, 27 girls at Camp Mystic missing in flooding

Jul. 5, 2025
video

Rescuers save person clinging to an electric pole amid Texas floods

Jul. 4, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather News

32 dead in Texas, 27 girls at Camp Mystic missing in flooding

1 hour ago

Hurricane

Chantal to make landfall in South Carolina Sunday morning

6 hours ago

Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

2 hours ago

Severe Weather

Storms kill 3 in New Jersey, knock out power across Northeast

1 day ago

Weather Forecasts

Heat, humidity return to the East

3 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Weather News

Wildfires are tearing through a popular tourist hotspot in Greece

1 day ago

Weather News

‘Shark Whisperer’ swims its way into our shark obsession

23 hours ago

Travel

Fourth of July gas hasn’t been this cheap since 2021

4 days ago

Weather News

What makes fireworks burst with vibrant colors?

23 hours ago

Health

There is no safe amount of processed meat to eat, new research shows

2 days ago

AccuWeather Weather News Science of Summer: How Do Ocean Waves Form?
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...