海裡為什麼有波浪?

The ocean is never still. Whether we look out from the beach or from a boat, we expect to see waves on the horizon. Waves are created by energy passing through water, which makes the water move in a circular motion. But the water itself doesn't actually travel with the wave. Waves carry energy, not water, across the ocean, and if nothing gets in their way, they can travel across an entire ocean basin. Most waves are caused by wind. Wind-driven waves, or surface waves, are created by friction between the wind and the surface of the water. As the wind blows across the ocean or a lake, the constant disturbance creates a wave crest. These waves are found all over the open ocean and along the coast. More dangerous waves can be caused by severe weather such as hurricanes. The strong winds and low pressure of these storms cause a storm surge: a series of long waves that form far from shore in deep water and grow stronger as they move closer to land. Other dangerous waves are caused by underwater events that suddenly move large amounts of water, such as earthquakes, landslides or volcanic eruptions. These very long waves are called tsunamis. Storm surges and tsunamis are not the kind of waves you picture crashing onto the beach. Instead, they roll in like a massive rise in sea level and can reach far inland. The pull of gravity from the Sun and the Moon also causes waves. These waves are the tides. Many people think "tidal wave" is just another word for a tsunami, but this is a misunderstanding. Tsunamis have nothing to do with the tides, and they can happen at any time, whether the tide is high or low.
海洋從來不會靜止。不論是站在海灘上,還是坐在船上,我們總能看見遠方海面上波浪起伏。波浪是能量穿過水時產生的,能量讓水做圓周運動。不過,水本身並不會跟著波浪往前走。波浪在海洋中傳遞的是能量,而不是水。如果沒有東西擋住,波浪可以橫越整個大洋。 大部分的波浪是風造成的。風浪,也叫表面波,是風和水面之間的摩擦形成的。當風吹過海面或湖面時,持續的擾動就會形成波峰。這種波浪在廣闊的大洋和沿海地區到處都看得到。 更危險的波浪,可能是颶風這類惡劣天氣造成的。這類風暴的強風和低氣壓會引起暴潮:一連串在遠離海岸的深水區形成的長波,越靠近陸地越猛烈。另一些危險的波浪,則是由突然推動大量海水的海底活動造成的,例如地震、海底山崩或火山爆發。這種波長很長的波叫做海嘯。暴潮和海嘯並不是我們想像中拍打海灘的那種浪,它們比較像是海平面一下子大幅上升,海水滾滾湧來,可以一路衝到很遠的內陸。 太陽和月球的引力也會產生波浪,這就是潮汐。很多人以為「潮汐波」(tidal wave)就是海嘯的另一種說法,其實這是誤解。海嘯和潮汐一點關係也沒有,不論漲潮還是退潮,隨時都可能發生。