As you swim away from shore at the ocean, you go through a region where the wave crests are breaking and then reach a more distant region where they don't break. What distinguishes the two regions?

Wave dynamics refers to the way waves form, move, and interact with each other and their environment. Waves in the ocean are generally caused by wind blowing across the water surface. This action transfers energy from the wind to the water, creating waves.

Waves are characterized by their wavelength (the distance between successive crests), height (the vertical distance from trough to crest), and period (the time it takes for two successive crests to pass a fixed point).

When waves travel across the ocean, their energy moves through the water, causing it to move in circular orbits. These orbits decrease in size with depth, so the influence of the wave diminishes as you go deeper below the surface.

Understanding wave dynamics is essential for predicting wave behavior, especially in different water depths.

Water depth greatly influences how waves behave. The interaction between waves and the ocean floor is a key factor that determines whether waves will break or not.

In deeper water, waves are relatively unaffected by the ocean bottom. As the depth increases, the orbits of water particles within the wave do not reach the ocean floor. This allows the wave to maintain a uniform speed, preventing it from breaking.

Conversely, in shallower water near the shore, waves experience friction with the ocean floor. This friction causes the wave's bottom to slow down while the top continues to move quickly, leading to a steepening and eventually breaking of the wave. This phenomenon is why you typically see waves breaking closer to the shore.

Oceanography is the study of the physical, chemical, and biological properties and phenomena of the ocean. It includes understanding how waves and currents form and interact with each other and the sea floor.

One of the critical areas of oceanography is the study of wave dynamics and how different factors like wind, currents, and tides influence wave formation and behavior.

We also examine how these processes impact the underwater environment and coastal areas. By studying oceanography, scientists can predict wave behaviors, which is crucial for navigation, coastal development, and understanding climate change impacts on sea levels and marine ecosystems.

The interaction between waves and the ocean floor is a crucial factor in wave breaking. As waves approach shallower waters, their interaction with the seafloor increases.

In deeper waters, the seafloor doesn't affect wave motion significantly, allowing waves to travel faster and more uniformly, thus not breaking.

In contrast, when waves move into shallow waters, the orbit of water particles is disrupted by the ocean bottom. The friction between the wave and the sea floor causes the wave to slow down at its base. Meanwhile, the top part remains fast-moving, leading to instability and eventually causing the wave to break. This process is critical for forming surfable waves and affects coastal erosion and sediment transport.