Primer | Ocean Waves

Watching winter waves on a blustery beach is a surefire way to feel both calm and invigorated (and a little bit small in the universe). Let’s get to know them better. 

Whether we’re jumping over them, trouser legs rolled up, or scuttling away from them up the beach, we all love a wave. If you’ve ever found yourself saying something like “Goodness! That’s a big splashy one!” and would like to sound like more of a Wave Afficionado, however, here are a few scientific Wave Terms you can employ. There won’t be a vocab test but they are rather fun.

Crest The high point of a wave

Trough The low point of a wave

Height The distance between crest and trough

Amplitude The distance from either the crest or the trough to the still water line

Attenuation A reduction in amplitude

Frequency The number of waves occurring at a single point in a given period of time

Period The time between swell crests

Fetch How far the wave has travelled

Swash The movement of a wave up the beach

Backwash The movement of a wave down the beach

Shoaling The change in wave height as the wave moves up the beach

If this has inspired you to take more coastal winter walks, you might like to read our feature, ‘A Shore Thing’ in our February issue, which is in shops now.

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Science lesson | How frost is made

Waking to a sprinkling of frost on the lawn, leaves and cobwebs is a little bit magical, but how does frost actually happen?

It’s all about the ‘dew point’. The dew point is the temperature at which water vapour in the air is so cold it turns from gas to liquid and appears in droplets on grass, plants, cars etc. When objects outdoors become colder than the dewpoint, that water vapour which has turned to dew freezes, forming tiny ice crystals. Because cool air sinks, frosts happen more commonly in low-lying areas, such as valleys, and frosts tend to happen overnight because the air is cooler then.

It’s a little more complicated than that though. And, for the frost curious, here are the various ‘types’ of frost:

Hoarfrost (or radiation frost)
Forming on outdoor objects and on the ground outside, hoarfrost is made up of tiny ice crystals, created when dew freezes.

Window frost
Less common in these days of double glazing, window frost occurs when there is cold air on one side of the glass and moist air indoors. Brrrr!

Advection frost
This sort of frost is formed from small ‘spikes’ of ice rather than crystals and tends to happen when the wind blows over tree branches, rooves and telegraph wires, freezing water vapour on those objects as it gusts. 

Rime
Yes, as in ‘of the Ancient Mariner’. Rime often forms on ships or other objects near the sea. Rime occurs in very cold, very wet locations and it forms very fast. It’s much more dramatic-looking than other types of frost and can often make an object appear to be made from solid ice. 

Join us on a winter walk where we appreciate frost and much more in our January issue. Our Outing feature, Sights, Drama, Action begins on page 76.

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Nature | Seaweed Weather Forecasting

When there’s little else to forage, seaweed is still plentiful. But as well as being good to eat, did you know it can also act as your very own Wincey Willis? 

Hang some seaweed outside and if it feels dry to the touch the weather should be fine, whereas if it feels damp rain be on its way. It’s not a completely failsafe forecast, being based only on the fact that if there’s moisture in the air it may indicate rain soon to come. If it’s VERY wet, it may simply be that it’s actually raining already. But it’s a bit of fun. 

Here are a few more ways you can tell the weather without switching on the radio or TV.

• Have a look at the dandelions. If they’re closed it will be clouding over. 

• See if you can spot any bees. They don’t tend to leave the hive when rain is on the way. 

• Notice what leaves are doing. Those with soft stems will go a little limp when there’s stormy or blustery weather on the way to allow wind to blow them about without snapping them.

• Arrange a very elaborate picnic. Around 20 seconds after you’ve spread the blanket on the ground, it will almost certainly begin to rain.

Discover more about seaweed, how to forage it and eat it in our January issue with our feature A Winter’s Tale. It starts on page 36.

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