Patient Support Programs - Orange County Inland Empire. For more information about any of the following programs or upcoming educational programs, please contact: Roxanne Garza. Patient Access, Education & Advocacy Manager. 714.481.5605.
Waves transmit energy, not water, and are commonly caused by the wind as it blows across the ocean, lakes, and rivers. Waves caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun are called tides. The ebb and flow of waves and tides are the life force of our world ocean.
There is surprisingly little actual forward motion of individual water particles in a wave, despite the large amount of forward energy it may carry. The great majority of waves one sees on an ocean beach result from distant winds. Three factors influence the formation of wind waves: Windspeed; length of time the wind has blown over a given area; and distance of open water that the wind has blown over (called fetch).