Final answer:
Waves increase in height and decrease in wavelength as they approach the shore due to the shoaling effect. The wave's frequency remains constant, but since the wave speed decreases as water depth decreases, the wavelength shortens.
Step-by-step explanation:
As waves approach the shore, their heights typically increase due to a process called shoaling. This occurs because the energy of the wave becomes compressed into a smaller volume of water as the depth decreases. As for the wavelength, it tends to decrease as the waves approach the shore. As the water depth decreases, the bottom of the wave slows down, causing the wave to become shorter and higher. The frequency of the wave remains the same but as the wave's speed decreases, this balance between speed, frequency, and wavelength leads to the wave crests getting closer together, which means a shorter wavelength.
When we observe and record observations of waves of different amplitudes and frequencies hitting the beach, and change the steepness of the beach, we can give a qualitative analysis of how these factors affect the wave's impact on the shoreline. As the steepness of the beach increases, the waves break more suddenly, leading to potentially more erosion or damage. Additionally, factors such as wave height, wavelength, and wave frequency influence when and how waves will break.