WAVES

While the Expedition Severn team are on the water, they will see some small waves even though they’re not at sea. Anything that disturbs the water, like a paddle, will make waves. Waves at sea are actually created by the wind blowing across the surface. There’s friction between the wind and the water and this causes the top of the water to begin building up into the peak of a wave. As it moves, it leaves behind a low trough. We can see this peak and trough structure of a wave by creating a model of the sea in a bottle. We’ll need two substances that are different densities so we’ll use water and oil.