Wave+Generated+Currents

There are four different types of currents formed by waves. Breakers, Undertows, Rip, and Longshore Currents. Breakers are when the waves are reaching the shore, and the bottom of the wave is hitting the bottom of the ocean, it causes friction and the bottom of the wave slows down. The top of the wave is still going the same speed, which causes the wave to collapse, causing the breaker.
 * Wave Generated Currents. **



Undertows are the currents that when the wave goes back to the ocean, it is brought back by gravity, and it forms this irregular current, which is the undertow. The undertows make canals when it goes back to the ocean, and when it finds an area with little resistance, it forms sandbanks on both sides of a canal. In this canal, the water goes back even faster. When there are on-shore winds, there will be undertow currents.



Rip Currents are also when the wave goes back to the ocean, it takes advantage of the undertow currents. When the wave goes back, some of the water will return from the undertow, and some from the rip currents. Rip currents move really fast, and when you are in them, people normally try to swim back, and they drown because the current is way too fast. When you’re caught on a rip current, just swim with it and then go around it. Also, when there are on-shore currents there will be rip currents.



Longshore currents are formed when there are along-shore winds, because these winds make the waves move not parallel to the shore. This makes a zigzag motion in the bottom of the ocean, which makes the shore make the same thing as the wave hits it. The longshore current makes something called longshore drift, because it’s carrying sand, it can make a sand bar at the end.

Pictures: [] [] []  [] 