As a wave begins to feel bottom near a shoreline, its wave height:
A)decreases and its steepness decreases.
B)decreases and its wavelength increases.
C)increases and its frequency decreases.
D)increases and its wavelength decreases
E)increases and its wavelength remains the same.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

As a wave begins to feel the bottom near a shoreline, its velocity decreases due to friction with the sea floor, causing the wavelength to decrease. However, the energy of the wave has to go somewhere, so the wave height increases, making the wave steeper until it eventually breaks.

As a Wave Begins to Feel Bottom near a Shoreline