Grades K–2 · Earth & Space
Does the same water travel with every ocean wave?
An ocean wave can move a long way. But a small bit of water does not usually ride along with that wave all the way across the sea. The moving shape and the water have different motions.
In the diagramA traveling wave and local water motionWave pattern movesEnlarged: one bit of water in a small deep-water waveUp and down,forward and backLocal orbitnot an ocean tripReal water can drift; breaking waves behave differently.
Wind can push on the water surface and give it energy. A wave carries energy onward. In a small wave in deep water, nearby water moves up, forward, down and back in an almost circular path.
The large circle in the picture makes that local motion easy to see. Real water can also drift, and currents carry water from place to place. A breaking wave at the beach behaves differently. This picture shows a gentle deep-water wave, not every kind of wave.
About this explanation
Starting knowledge: Recognize water, waves and an object bobbing up and down.
Sources
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — Why does the ocean have waves?
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — JetStream Max: Anatomy of a Wave