The Science of Big Waves

Pre-viewing:

1. Where do ocean waves come from? What gets them started? Ocean waves come from out of sea and are caused by wind currents, ocean currents, moon gravitational pull and sometimes mini-earthquakes. 
2. What do you think a surfer should know about waves before they try and ride a wave while surfing? The surfer should understand the science of the waves and how they are formed and what causes them to do things. 

Question for the Video:

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. They begin in the North Pacific (the gulf of Alaska) and are caused by the wind and the water mixing together. They are made of wind speed, fetch and duration.
2. Describe how waves are formed, how they originate, and how they are measured?  Height, period and wavelength are the terms used for the measurement of waves. They are formed by the mix of High and Low pressure systems. 
3. What is a maverick wave and what is special about the way it is formed? The wavelength becomes larger as well as the period between each wave. A Maverick is a large wave that is formed in the gulfs of Alaska. The wave crosses the deep water, crosses the tip of the reef then it encounters rocks and refracts into converging waves. 
4. How is energy stored and transferred during wave? The energy circulates within the wave and the energy is stored as potential energy until it hits the reef and the potential energy surges up into kinetic energy. 
5. List any kind of advice given by the surfers about how to survive these “big waves.” Staying alive is the most important factor when being dumped by waves that can shake the tectonic plates. Get in there quickly before the wave crashes.