| Shallow water: (1) Commonly, water of such a depth that surface waves are noticeably affected by bottom topography. It is customary to consider water of depths less than one-half the surface wavelength as shallow water. See TRANSITIONAL ZONE and DEEP WATER. (2) More strictly, in hydrodynamics with regard to progressive gravity waves, water in which the depth is less than 1/25 the wavelength; also called VERY SHALLOW WATER. |
