| Title page |
| Basic wave theory |
| Deep water waves |
| Shallow water waves |
| Waves in water of varying depth |
| Wave trains |
| Beach waves |
| Applets |
| References |
| Symbols Legend |
| Troubleshooting |
Upon close inspection of Biesel's equations one finds that the water gets shallower:
| 1. The amplitude of the waves increase. 2. The wave speed decreases. 3. The wavelength decreases. 4. The water particles continue to move in an elliptical motion, but the major axis of the ellipse tends to align itself with the sea floor. |
The forth behavior is illustrated in the figure below.
The following applet shows how a variable sea bottom will affect the motion of a wave. One can also observe the elliptical motion aligning with the sea floor in shallow cases.
Java Applet: waves over a varying sea floor*
*In fact, we did not use the Biesel model to create this applet. We used a simpler model, [FR]. This model has all the necessary characteristics, but is more computationally friendly.