2025/08/21 by Tamara Beitzel Barriquand, Jessica M. Kleiss · 1 voice
Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Ocean Waves and Remote Sensing #Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes #Underwater Acoustics Research
paper · doi:10.1119/5.0223337
openalex publication_date 2025/08/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/11
A set of hands-on laboratory activities are described that allow students to visualize theoretical and observed ocean surface wave behavior through both an analytical model (MATLAB Ⓡ, Python, or R) and a physical model (wave tank). For the analytical model, students write code to visualize the linear superposition of waves and plot the dispersion relation and its shallow- and deep-water approximations to explore the dependence of wave speed on water depth and wavelength. For the physical model, students generate propagating and standing waves in a plexiglass wave tank and compare them to the theoretical equations. Students are often impressed at how well the theory predicts the wave properties in the tank. Additional activities may include: (1) watching the groundbreaking 1967 film Waves Across the Pacific as a guided introduction to the concept of global wave energy propagation; (2) doing pencil-and-paper derivations of the dispersion relation and the deep- and shallow-water wave approximations; and (3) going outside to observe waves in action. The authors have implemented these activities in undergraduate physics, physical oceanography, and general oceanography courses.