The science of ocean waves : ripples, tsunamis, and stormy seas / J.B. Zirker.

Includes bibliographies and index.

A walk along the beach -- What exactly is a wave? -- How the wind generates ocean waves -- A touch of reality : how big waves behave -- Observations at sea : the postwar boom -- Forecasting and monitoring storm waves -- Breaking waves -- Freaks and rogues -- Tsunamis -- Internal waves and El Niño -- The tides -- The currents -- Ship waves -- Renewable energy from waves and tides -- The future.

A scientist takes readers on a whirlwind tour of the world of waves - from the "ordinary" waves that constantly churn the sea to the rogues or freaks that can rise up seemingly from nowhere to heights of 20 meters or more, and everything in between. Addressing questions most ocean visitors have had and offering new questions for further consideration, this book explains in accessible language how waves are formed, how they move, how they become huge and destructive, and how they're being studied now for clues that will help us plan for the future. Devoting chapters to wind, tides, currents, breakers, tsunamis, forecasting, renewable energy, and El Niño - as well as discussing the gentler properties of ocean waves which inspire us and offer opportunities for relaxation and recreation - the author explores the physical factors that create waves. Drawing on some of the storms that have devastated entire regions - such as Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami launched by the 2004 Sumatran earthquake, and the great tsunami that crushed the shore of Japan in 2011 - the author explains the forces that cause these monster waves and reveals the toll they take on human lives. --

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