🔍 Key Concepts

• local wind-driven waves versus swell from distant storms • difference between sea state (conditions at your location) and waves generated elsewhere • definition of fetch in wave generation

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: which term describes waves that have traveled away from the storm that created them and are now arriving at your location? • Which choice refers specifically to the area of water over which the wind blows, rather than the waves themselves? • Which option is a general word that could mean any kind of wave motion, not necessarily tied to a distant storm?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which term is used for waves that are smooth, regular, and have moved far from their generating storm. • Eliminate the option that means the distance over water that wind blows to generate waves. • Consider which word mariners use to describe the overall condition of the water surface at a location right now.