Types of Wave
Geography: AQA GCSE, topic 3.2.1
Types of Wave
Constructive and destructive waves are the two main types of wave. The characteristics of these waves are described below:
What are constructive waves?
- Constructive waves are not very tall.
- When the sea's waves are constructive, we say that the sea is calm.
- Constructive waves have a longer wavelength than destructive waves which means individual waves are spread quite far apart.
- Constructive waves have a low frequency (about 7-10 waves arrive at the beach each minute).
- Constructive waves deposit material onto coastlines because they have strong swash and weak backwash. This means that more material is deposited onto the beach than the weak backwash can drag material away.
What are destructive waves?
- Destructive waves are taller and more frequent than constructive waves.
- Destructive waves have a high frequency. They have around 10-15 waves per minute.
- Destructive waves cause most of the erosion of coastlines.
- Destructive waves have a stronger backwash than swash, meaning they drag more material away from the coastline than is deposited on the shore.
Test yourself on Types of Wave
What are the main types of waves?
Which of the following is not a category of wave?
Which of the statements below are characteristics of destructive waves?