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whitecap A crest of a wave which becomes unstable in deep water, toppling over or "breaking". The instability is caused by the too rapid addition of energy from a strong wind. A wave which becomes unstable in shallow water is called a breaker. In theory, a wave will break when its steepness (height to length ratio) is 1:7, however in practice many waves break at a lower steepness of 1:10. See RES-2 on sea state.

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