Jenny Voss, age 13, of Solana Beach, Calif., for her question:

WHAT CAUSES OCEAN WAVES?

Some people suspect that ocean waves are caused by the tides. But actually they do little more than merely raise and lower the level of the water. The waves, without a doubt, are caused by the winds. Even a slight breeze is enough to ripple the surface. Gusty gale winds puff and blow with enough pressure to whip up waves more than 30 feet high.

And the waves are great travelers. Sometimes a wild, windy typhoon whips up giant waves far out over the Pacific Ocean. Once started, these heaving waves travel over the surface of the sea, often for a thousand miles or more. Finally they break on some faraway shore. There an expert may observe the long, slow combers  and figure out the distance and direction of the storm.