🔍 Key Concepts

• Wind opposing current vs. wind with current and how this affects wave steepness • The meaning of heaviest chop (short, steep, breaking waves) vs. long, rolling swells • What happens on slack water when there is little or no current

💭 Think About

• Think about a small boat in a river: when the wind is blowing one way and the current is flowing the opposite way, what happens to the shape and steepness of the waves? • Which situation will make waves stand up, shorten their wavelength, and become steeper: wind and current in the same direction, or in opposite directions? • How would waves look when there is almost no current (slack water) even if the wind is blowing?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which answer choice describes wind directly opposing current direction rather than crossing it or going with it • Confirm in your mind that short, steep, choppy waves form when the surface water motion from current fights against the wind-driven waves • Eliminate any choices that would more likely produce longer, smoother waves rather than steep chop