Why does the ocean have waves even when it’s calm?
In: Planetary Science
So “when it’s calm”, is there really no wind *anywhere,* over the entire ocean?
No, even when it’s calm where you are, it’s still windy somewhere out there. And water is connected and waves travel. Maybe there’s a storm 300 miles offshore.
Even on the calmest days, the earth still rotates, and the moons still revolves around the earth. Both of these will cause tidal currents in the ocean, and when a tidal current gets close to land, it will turn into a wave.
at the shore; waves are water moving into shallower water. when there is no breeze, the ocean currents are still moving water. water is constantly being moved to the shore so waves will always form.
things like wind and storms can force more water than normal making bigger waves, as can changes to the seafloor near the coastline
Op were you inspired by that post today on that monster wave that was recorded in the middle of the ocean?
Because of tidal forces from the moon. The moon pulls on the earth and it pulls the side of the earth closest to it more than it does the other side. The result is the earth bulges slightly in that direction. Not enough you’d notice just looking around, but over thousands of miles it’s enough to perturb the ocean and cause waves.
At sea we usually distinguish between two main types of waves: wind waves and swell
Wind waves is formed here and now, size and direction directly correlating to the current wind direction and speed (check Beaufort scale)
These waves keeps going until they are interrupted ie by land. That means a wave started far away in a storm yesterday might reach you today, as swell. These waves are typically longer and deeper than the same wind wave, as waves stretch out over time. Swell can have any size and direction, it may or may not correlate with the wind direction and speed
Source: navigational officer of large container ships
I’ve been on the ocean before when it was smooth as glass. Barely perceptible ground swells.
Waves in the ocean can be caused by a variety of factors such as wind, tides, and even earthquakes. Even when the surface appears calm, there may still be underlying currents or movements that create small ripples and waves. Additionally, waves can travel long distances from their point of origin, so even if there are no current sources of disturbance nearby, waves can still be present.
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