Fetch

{
  "id": "MLC-T-MET-000960",
  "term": "Fetch",
  "field": "Meteorology and atmospheric science",
  "definitions": [
    "The length of open water over which wind with a constant direction and speed has blown. This continuous area of water, unobstructed by land, is a primary factor in determining the size and energy of wind-generated waves. A longer fetch, combined with higher wind speed and duration, results in larger waves with greater height and longer periods.",
    "1. The area in which ocean waves are generated by the wind. Also refers to the length of the fetch area, measured in the direction of the wind.\n\n2. In hydrologic terms,\n\n• The effective distance which waves have traversed in open water, from their point of origin to the point where they break.\n\n• 2. The distance of the water or the homogenous type surface over which the wind blows without appreciable change in direction."
  ],
  "references": [
    "NWS Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/meteorology/fetch/"
}