What creates waves in the ocean?

Question

My boyfriend was saying that it was the wind. But i said there's no way the wind could create some of those huge waves, that it must be the surges in ocean and tides and what not... Anyone know for sure?

Answer 1

Actually, you both are partially right.

Waves found in the ocean have different causes and, therefore, different characteristics. At the surface of the ocean, waves can be generated by the action of wind blowing across the surface, by earthquakes beneath the surface of the ocean, by changes in atmospheric pressure or along its shores or by the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon.

Answer 2

The wind does create most of the waves in the ocean. Normal wind driven waves are mostly no larger a couple of meters. Waves that are created and driven by storms can be very large. Large storm systems with low pressure cause the ocean to well up underneath them and the wind, since it's both a higher velocity and more concentrated, will whip up higher waves. These waves can be several stories high, some mariners have reported waves of 25ft or higher. Storm surge caused by hurricanes and tides are not "waves". Storm surge from hurricanes is when water is pushed out in front of the hurricane; the surge builds up higher as the hurricane strenthens and the longer a hurricane lasts. Tides are the mass movement around the ocean basins caused by the gravitational force of the moon.
Tsunamis are giant waves caused by off-shore or near off-shore very large earthquakes, which physically displace the entire water column from ocean floor to surface and build up as the wave moves closer to the shore.
If you would like to test the "wind causes waves", fill up your bathtub and plug your hairdryer up close by (don't drop it in the water!!!). Turn the dryer onto low speed and put it above the water on one end of the tub and let the dryer run for several minutes. The longer you let it run, the more waves should be created. If you turn the dryer on high, the waves will get larger.

Answer 3

It's the wind -- except for tsunamis, which are caused by earthquakes.

Take a bowl of water, and blow across the top.

You'll make little waves.

Go to the shore of a lake, or look at pictures.

There are waves. The more wind there is, the bigger the waves.

Oceans are HUGE. Wind, blowing across their surface unobstructed for thousands of miles is what makes the waves so big -- even bigger when there are storms.

It's hard to really GET how big the oceans are, that's why it's hard to believe those honkin' big waves are just from wind.

But they are.

Answer 4

What causes waves on the ocean is a combination of several or more effects:

1. Wind

2. Gravity

3. the Moon

4. earth quakes

5. Volcanic activity

6. plate tectonics

7. Coriolis Effect.

8. Rivers emptying into the ocean

9. heat from the sun

10. cold from the poles

Any single or combination of these natural phenomenon will cause wave actions in all the worlds seas and oceans.

Answer 5

The wave during regular time is by surface wind. The gravitational pull affects at low tide and high tide that is 2 times a day.The tide or Tsunami waves or caused by under sea earthquakes or rock slips or by under sea volcanic eruption. Visit my slide show to know more on this.
My web site
http://www.freewebs.com/quakealert/
My Community in Orkut
http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=26068261
Presentation slides
http://asia.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/quake

Answer 6

the wind is a very powerful force and can make huge waves
wave can be very big if the wind is 50 mph

Answer 7

Sorry but your boyfriend is right, it is the wind. It has thousands of miles to build the waves. The stronger the wind, the bigger the waves. That is why hurricanes produce such good surfing.

Answer 8

it is the wind along with the surface on the bottom of the ocean

Answer 9

The tides are created by the gravitational forces of the earth and moon. When the moon is closer, the tides are greater.

Answer 10

The wind.