The region between breaking waves and the shore is known as the surf zone. This area is characterized by turbulent water movement and breaking waves as they approach the shoreline. It is where wave energy dissipates and influences nearshore sediment transport.
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Waves crash on the shore when they approach shallow water, causing the wave height to increase and eventually break. This is due to the friction between the rising wave and the ocean floor, which slows down the bottom of the wave and causes the top to topple forward, forming a breaking wave.
Waves change direction near shore due to shoaling, which is the process of waves slowing down and increasing in height as they move into shallower water. This change in speed and height causes the waves to bend, aligning more parallel with the shoreline. The energy in the waves is also compressed which results in them breaking as they reach the shore.
As waves approach the shore, they slow down due to friction with the seabed, causing their wavelengths to decrease and their amplitudes to increase. This results in the waves becoming steeper and eventually breaking as they reach shallow water. The energy of the waves is dissipated as they break, creating the surf zone.
Waves crash when the energy in the wave becomes too concentrated as it approaches the shore. This causes the top of the wave to move faster than the bottom, resulting in the wave breaking. The forceful impact of the crashing wave is what we see and hear as it hits the shore.
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