Answer to Question 1
Waves form by the transfer of motion energy from wind to the water surface. The wave moves in the direction that the wind is blowing, although the water itself changes overall position only slightly as a wave crest and trough pass and induce a circular motion to the water. When waves enter shallow water close to land, the energy of the wave is comfined into progressively shallower water, which causes the wave height to rise. Observations of these shoaling waves show that as the wave height increases, the wave crests become narrower than the intervening troughs, wavelength decreases, and the forward velocity of the waves decreases. Eventually the wave oversteepens as the crest moves faster than the base, and the wave crest falls forward as a breaker.
Answer to Question 2
The distance that the wind is in contact with the water is an important factor in the formation of waves. Swimming pools or small ponds are so small that this distance is insufficient to form waves even during strong winds.
Wave Travel
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