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Wave energy harnesses the power of ocean waves to generate electricity, offering a renewable and sustainable energy source with significant potential due to the vastness of the world's oceans. Despite its promise, the technology faces challenges such as high costs, environmental impacts, and the need for robust infrastructure to withstand harsh marine conditions.
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Wave propagation refers to the movement of waves through a medium or space, characterized by the transfer of energy without the permanent displacement of the particles of the medium. Understanding Wave propagation is crucial in fields like acoustics, optics, and electromagnetic theory as it explains phenomena such as sound transmission, light reflection, and signal transmission.
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Wave refraction is the bending of waves as they approach shallow water or encounter obstacles, causing them to change direction and speed. This phenomenon redistributes wave energy along coastlines, influencing erosion, sediment deposition, and the shaping of coastal landforms.
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Wave diffraction is the bending of waves around obstacles and openings, which occurs when the size of the obstacle or opening is comparable to the wavelength of the wave. This phenomenon is crucial in understanding wave behaviors in various contexts, such as sound, light, and electromagnetic waves, influencing technologies like acoustics, optics, and wireless communication.
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Wave reflection occurs when a wave encounters a boundary or obstacle and is returned into the medium from which it originated, often altering its direction and amplitude. This phenomenon is governed by the principles of wave behavior and is essential in understanding various applications such as acoustics, optics, and electromagnetic wave propagation.
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Coastal erosion is the gradual loss of land along shorelines due to natural processes like wave action, currents, and sea level rise, often exacerbated by human activities such as construction and deforestation. This phenomenon poses significant risks to ecosystems, infrastructure, and communities, necessitating sustainable management and adaptation strategies to mitigate its impacts.
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Sediment transport is the movement of solid particles, typically due to water, wind, or ice, which plays a crucial role in shaping landscapes and forming sedimentary deposits. Understanding Sediment transport is essential for predicting erosion patterns, managing river systems, and designing infrastructure to mitigate environmental impacts.
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Wave breaking occurs when a wave becomes too steep to support itself, causing the crest to collapse forward. This process is crucial in energy dissipation and plays a significant role in coastal dynamics and ocean mixing.
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Wave height is the vertical distance between the crest of a wave and the preceding trough, and it is a crucial parameter for understanding ocean dynamics and coastal processes. It influences marine navigation, coastal erosion, and the design of offshore structures, making accurate measurement and prediction essential for safety and environmental management.
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Wave period is the time it takes for two consecutive wave crests or troughs to pass a fixed point, providing a measure of the wave's frequency. It is a critical parameter in understanding wave dynamics and is inversely related to wave frequency, influencing phenomena such as wave energy and coastal processes.
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A tsunami is a series of ocean waves with extremely long wavelengths and periods, typically caused by large-scale disturbances such as underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or landslides. These waves can travel across entire ocean basins at high speeds, causing catastrophic damage when they reach coastal areas due to their immense energy and volume of water displaced.
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Storm surge is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low pressure weather systems, such as tropical cyclones. It is primarily caused by high winds pushing seawater toward the shore, leading to significant flooding and potential damage to coastal areas.
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Hydrodynamics is the branch of physics that studies the motion of fluids, particularly liquids, and the forces acting on them. It plays a crucial role in understanding natural phenomena and engineering applications, from ocean currents to the design of hydraulic systems.
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Oceanography is the scientific study of the ocean, encompassing its physical, chemical, biological, and geological aspects to understand its complex systems and interactions. It is crucial for comprehending climate change, marine ecosystems, and the sustainable management of ocean resources.
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Coastal engineering is a specialized branch of civil engineering focused on the design and construction of structures and systems to manage and protect coastal areas from erosion, flooding, and other environmental challenges. It integrates principles from oceanography, geology, and environmental science to develop sustainable solutions for coastal development and preservation.
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Delta formation occurs at the mouth of a river where sediment carried by the river is deposited as the flow velocity decreases upon entering a standing body of water like an ocean or lake. This process creates a landform that can support diverse ecosystems and is influenced by factors such as sediment supply, wave action, and tidal forces.
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Coastal processes encompass the dynamic interactions between the ocean and the land, shaping coastal landscapes through erosion, deposition, and transportation of sediments. These processes are influenced by factors such as wave action, tidal patterns, sea level changes, and human activities, which collectively impact coastal ecosystems and human settlements.
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Littoral drift refers to the transportation of sediment along a coast by wave action, primarily driven by the longshore current. It plays a critical role in shaping coastal landscapes, influencing beach erosion and deposition patterns over time.
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Beach erosion is the process where coastal shorelines are worn away by natural forces like waves, tides, and currents, leading to loss of land and habitat. It poses significant threats to coastal communities, ecosystems, and economies, necessitating effective management and mitigation strategies.
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Coastal deposition is the geological process where sediments, such as sand and pebbles, are added to a landform or landmass along a coast, primarily due to the action of waves, currents, and tides. This process results in the formation of various coastal features like beaches, spits, and sand dunes, which are crucial for coastal ecosystems and protection against erosion.
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Cliff retreat refers to the process by which cliffs erode and recede over time due to natural forces such as weathering, wave action, and mass wasting. This phenomenon is a critical aspect of coastal and riverine geomorphology, influencing landscape evolution and posing significant risks to human settlements and infrastructure located near cliff edges.
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