What is wave refraction geography?

Wave refraction refers to what happens to waves when they approach an uneven coastline. As waves approach an uneven coastline they reach the headlands first, this focuses a lot of energy on those forelands and bends the waves into the bays where the energy expended is less.

How does wave refraction occur geography?

Wave refraction involves waves breaking onto an irregularly shaped coastline, e.g. a headland separated by two bays. Waves drag in the shallow water approaching a headland so the wave becomes high, steep and short. The part of the wave in the deeper water moves forward faster causing the wave to bend.

What is wave refraction geography Bitesize?

Refraction is the change in direction of a wave as it travels from one medium to another. When water waves pass from deep to shallow water they slow down because friction with the ripple tank base or seabed has greater impact in the shallow water. As the waves slow down the waves bend towards the normal.

What are the 3 coastal processes?

The three principle marine processes that influence coasts are erosion, transportation and deposition.

What is the fetch of a wave geography?

Fetch, area of ocean or lake surface over which the wind blows in an essentially constant direction, thus generating waves. The term also is used as a synonym for fetch length, which is the horizontal distance over which wave-generating winds blow.

What causes wave refraction?

Refraction – as waves approach shore, they bend so wave crests are nearly parallel to shore. Waves refract due to the friction of the continental shelf and the water which slows them down and causes the waves to face more directly to the shore and the wave crests bend.

What causes waves ks3?

Waves are created by wind blowing over the surface of the sea.

What is a fetch wave?

Fetch. 1. The area in which ocean waves are generated by the wind. Also refers to the length of the fetch area, measured in the direction of the wind.

What are the 4 processes of coastal erosion?

Destructive waves erode through four main processes; Hydraulic Action, Compression, Abrasion and Attrition. Image credit: Jeff Hansen, U.S. Geological Survey. Hydraulic Action is the sheer force of water crashing against the coastline causing material to be dislodged and carried away by the sea.

What are the 5 processes of coastal erosion?

There are five main processes which cause coastal erosion. These are corrasion, abrasion, hydraulic action, attrition and corrosion/solution. Corrasion is when waves pick up beach material (e.g. pebbles) and hurl them at the base of a cliff.

How does fetch affect wave formation?

The greater the wind velocity, the longer the fetch, and the greater duration the wind blows, then the more energy is converted to waves and the bigger the waves.

What is the result of wave refraction?

Wave energy does the work of erosion at the shore. This slows down the inshore part of the wave and makes the wave “bend.” This bending is called refraction. Wave refraction either concentrates wave energy or disperses it. In quiet water areas, such as bays, wave energy is dispersed, so sand is deposited.

How are waves refracted as they approach the shore?

Friction with the sea bed as waves approach the shore causes the wave front to become distorted or refracted as velocity is reduced. The image below shows how the refracted wave becomes increasingly parallel to the shoreline. Waves in the middle of the bay, where the water is deeper, do not lose velocity as rapidly.

How are electromagnetic waves used in a radar system?

In order to permit the use of a single antenna, and to measure the distance from the antenna to the reflecting surface (s), the “pulsed” wave radar system was developed, and is to be the exclusive subject of our discussion. In the pulsed radar system, the electromagnetic waves are emitted from the antenna in short bursts.

Which is an example of a wave refraction?

There are two main variables that come into play when we talk about wave refraction: focusing and defocusing. The first one occurs, for example, when a swell hits a coral reef that sticks out from the shore with an abrupt and deep water channel on one or both sides.

How are waves affected by the shape of a headland?

Wave Refraction. Wave refraction involves waves breaking onto an irregularly shaped coastline, e.g. a headland separated by two bays. Waves drag in the shallow water approaching a headland so the wave becomes high, steep and short.