Glossary
Find a term from the labs, understand the process behind it, and see how it appears in the landscape. Each entry connects an explanation with a real observation and a model you can explore.
Term
The change in a wave as it enters shallower water: it slows, its wavelength shortens, and its height may increase before breaking.
A breaking wave at Porto Covo, Portugal. In shallow water a wave slows and steepens; its crest eventually breaks.
Explore further with USGS water glossary · USGS volcano glossary · NPS glacial geology · NASA Earth facts. Photograph acknowledgements are collected on the Image credits page.