Editing Wave base (section)

==Process==
In [[seawater]], the water particles are moved in a circular [[orbital motion]] when a wave passes. The [[radius]] of the circle of motion for any given water molecule decreases [[Exponential decay|exponentially]] with increasing depth. The wave base, which is the depth of influence of a water wave, is about half the [[wavelength]].

At depths greater than half the wavelength, the water motion is less than 4% of its value at the water surface<ref>At a depth of half the wave length, the [[amplitude]] of the water particle motion by the waves has been reduced to ''e<sup>−π</sup> ≈ 0.04'' times it value at the water surface.</ref> and may be neglected.

For example, in a pool of water {{convert|1|m|ft}} deep, a wave with a {{convert|3|m|ft}} wavelength would be moving the water at the bottom. In the same pool, a wave with a wavelength of {{convert|0.5|m|ft}} would not be able to cause water movement on the bottom.