Final answer:
Large waves generated by distant storms arrive at shores before smaller waves because of relationship between wave speed and wavelength, with longer-wavelength waves traveling faster.
Step-by-step explanation:
Large waves generated by a distant storm can arrive at a shore first, followed later by smaller waves due to the relationship between wave speed and wavelength. Ocean waves travel at different speeds based on their wavelength; waves with longer wavelengths move faster than waves with shorter wavelengths. This is why large waves created by intense storms, which typically have long wavelengths, can reach the shore before smaller waves that have shorter wavelengths and therefore travel slower.
When wind transfers energy to the ocean surface, it creates waves. The intense winds from a storm produce waves with large wavelengths that can then travel swiftly across the ocean to reach distant shores. The principle that the speed of a wave is equal to the product of its wavelength and frequency explains how different-sized waves arrive at the shore at different times.