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This morning I read Section 3: Ocean Waves and Tides. Reexaming the selected reading I noticed that it is a little bit short of the 20 page min. because I have chosen not to include the last pages of the chapter which are lab activities and a practice question study guide for the chapter. So I have included a section Earth which I will read after I post about Section 3: Ocean Waves.

Before I begin reading I have  a pen and notebook, that I have been writing notes into. First I skim through the section. Now I am familiar with the  authors style. I look for words in Blue Headings. These are the main topic, which in turn have words in red that are their subtopics. For this section I am going to write my notes in outline format, using the author’s style as a guide. The outline  looks as follows:

Ocean Waves & Tides

I. Waves –

       1. Describing waves

       2. Wave movement

       3. Breakers

       4. How water waves form

II. Tides

         1. Tidal range

         2. Extreme tidal range

         3. Tidal bores

         4. Gravitional effects of the moon

         5. Gravitional effects of the sun

As I continue to read, I will fill in the appropriate definitions and notes into each section.

First I read each section rather quickly then I reread the section to write down any notes and important info. The first paragraph defines waves. Which I write into the outline.  This paragraph triggered an image of  a tsunami with huge waves because it is fresh in my mind from this mornings news. Next characteristics of a wave are described and shown in figure 11.  I draw a similar representation into the outline.    I also include the definition of a wavelength, crest, and trough.

Continuing on to wave movement I found the properties of a wave to be interesting and I take note of  the fact that only energy moves forward in a wave, and that water molecules remain in about the same place.  Also water movement stops below a depth equal to half the wavelength. The author directs the reader to figure 13, a full page, which provides a great visualization and explanation of wave movement and relates it to dominoes. Just as only energymoves forward in a wave, energy is transferred to each domino in sequence, but each domino remains close to where it started, just as the water.  A question comes into mind ” So how does the water come onto the shore?”

I continue reading and my question is answered with breakers. I write down its definition in the outline. I reread this section twice and refered to figure 13, which is similar to the diagram above, it  helped me understand breakers. Friction with the ocean bottom slows down the bottom of the wave increasing its height and not affecting the speed of the top of the wave causing the crest to fall breaking on the shore. 

Continuing on to ‘How water waves forms”, I notice the author asking the question ‘what 3 factors affect wave height?’ twice, so I answer this question in the outline also.  The last two sentences in this section, part of which is ‘ waves continue moving for long distances, even if the wind stopped’, triggered a connection to the dangerous surf that the coast encounters even though a storm or hurricane is more than 100 miles into the Atlantic Ocean.

Next tide is defined, and I write its definition into the outline. While reading this section I remembered the time I noticed a difference in the shoreline at South Beach.  One day it was so far out into the beach area and the strip of rocks was covered with water. The next day the shoreline was far into the ocean and the strip of rocks were visible.  Small shells and seaweed left a visible line of the day before’s shoreline. At this time there was no storm. This is when I realized the effect low and high tides have on oceans and rivers. The author provides a good picture, using Mont-Saint Michel as an example. During low tide  Mont- Saint Michel becomes part of France’s mainland and during high tide it becomes an island surrounded by water. I found it to be amazing.

 

 

I found the next section Tidal Bores to be unimportant and crossed it out on the outline. Continuing on to the gravitational effects of the moon I have a better understanding of the moon’s effect on high and low tide. I drew a diagram in the outline similar to the authors indicating  high tide on Earth with respect to the moon location. Gravitational effect of the sun are explained. I make note of spring and neap tides. Spring tides cause high tide to become higher than normal and low tides  lower than normal, because of the additional gravitional pull from the sun, that occurs when the Sun, the Moon and the Earth are aligned. Neap tides causes high tide to be lower than usual and low tide to be higher than usual due to a lesser gravitional pull, caused when the Sun, Earth, and the Moon form a right angle. 

 

This brings us to the end of the section with a section review box. I read through it quickly making sure I understood everything. I found this section of the chapter on Oceans to be the most interesting, especially the sun’s influence on tides.  Afterwards I will go to www.glenco.com and see what they have about tides.

P.S. Due to my change in selected reading, the section about Earth will be posted later tonight or tomorrow night.

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