What happens when ocean waves with wavelenghts of 10m and than 200m encounter a small island of width 100 m?

Question

****How much shelter will be found in each case by taking a small boat to the lee side of the island?

Answer 1

Watch out for the wave with the long wavelength.

First, the longer the wavelength, the more they will diffract (bend) around an object.

Second, the Island is small compared to the wavelength of the long wave (1/2 the wavelength) and large compared to the small wavelength (10). Generally a wave will go around an object that is 1/2 its wavelength as if it were not there.