This page was built for my second quarter independent research project on physical oceanography. Okay, we'll start with a brief introduction.
Water waves form when the wind forces shearing stress on the oceans' surface.
Because of differences in the wind speed, called turbulent fluctuations, pressure differences occur on the ocean causing some areas of the water to be higher than others. As the wind blows, pressure differences between the trough the crest of the wave cause it to grow in size. This development of a wave takes a lot of time. A wave subsides when the wind speed decreases or when its energy of motion is restricted by its own internal friction or friction created by shorelines. Feel free to stay awhile and have a look around.