Final answer:
The provided options for the question about wave heights in the open ocean do not include the correct statistical value based on the Rayleigh distribution. The correct statistic is approximately 1 in 3000, not represented by options a through d. Additional reference information is included to describe wave height in relation to amplitude.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question relates to the statistical nature of wave heights in the open ocean, specifically dealing with the distribution of wave heights and the occurrence of unusually large waves. According to the Rayleigh distribution of wave heights, it's often cited that in a randomly observed sea state, approximately 1 wave in every 3000 will be more than twice the significant wave height, which reflects the average of the highest one-third of the waves. However, the options provided in this question (a through d) do not include the statistically accurate answer, which suggests this question may be either incomplete or hypothetical.
Answering parts of the reference information provided: The height of a wave is typically defined as the distance from the trough to the crest, so it would be equivalent to twice the amplitude of the wave (option c). For the scenario where a bird sits on the water's surface with a wave amplitude of 0.2 m, the bird would move up and down 0.4 m with each wave (amplitude to crest plus amplitude to trough), and it would do this twice per second, given the wave frequency of 2 Hz.