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Ocean surface waves are surface waves that occur on the free surface of the ocean. They usually result from wind, and are also referred to as wind waves. Some waves can travel thousands of miles before reaching land. They range in size from small ripples to huge rogue waves. There is little actual forward motion of individual water particles in a wave, despite the large amount of energy it may carry forward. The great majority of large breakers one observes on an ocean beach result from distant winds. Four factors influence the formation of wind waves[1] All of these factors work together to determine the size and shape of ocean waves. The greater each of the variables, the larger the waves. Waves are characterized by Waves in a given area typically have a range of heights. For weather reporting and for scientific analysis of wind wave statistics, their characteristic height over a period of time is usually expressed as significant wave height. This figure represents the average height of the highest one-third of the waves in a given time period (usually chosen somewhere in the range from 20 minutes till twelve hours), or in a specific wave or storm system. Given the variability of wave height, the largest individual waves are likely to be about twice the reported significant wave height for a particular day or storm.
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