Waves are periodic, more or less regular deformations of the interface between two fluids or, in some instances, of an internal layer within a fluid. Ocean surface and lake surface waves are observed on the interface between water and air. Their descriptive parameters are period (the time interval between two successive deformations), height (twice the amplitude), and length (horizontal distance between two successive crests, taken at right angles to the crests). Measurable periods of surface waves generally fall in the range 0.5-20 sec. Longer waves include internal waves and tides .
Ordinary ocean (and lake) waves are generated by the wind, travel in groups, and have a measurable celerity (velocity, length/period). The celerity (phase celerity, referring to each individual wave) is greater than the group velocity. Standing waves, which ordinarily are not transported from point to point, are created in special ways, such as by reflection off a seawall or by high Froude effects in a...
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Tanner, W.F. (1982). Wave work . In: Beaches and Coastal Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30843-1_499
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30843-1_499
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