(Definition of âhowdyâ from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary Â© Cambridge University Press)
A wave is an up and down movement of water. When we talk about waves, we use special words to name their parts. The highest point of a wave is called the crest. The lowest point is called the trough. Wave height is the vertical distance between the crest and trough. Wavelength is the horizontal distance between waves in a series. Wavelength can be measured between two wave crests. It can be measured between two wave troughs.
Return to Coastal Currents: Waves. The highest surface part of a wave is called the crest, and the lowest part is the trough. The vertical distance between the crest and the trough is the wave height. The horizontal distance between two adjacent crests or troughs is known as the wavelength. Wave height is affected by wind speed, wind duration, or how long the wind blows, and fetch, which is the distance over water that the wind blows in a single direction. If wind speed is slow, only small waves result.