Identify the correct answer regarding wave refraction :
MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,
Answer: C
Wave refraction concentrates energy on headlands and disperses it across bays.
Waves slow down as they enter shallow water. Off a headland the water shallows first, so the part of the wave crest approaching it slows and the crest bends to wrap around the headland. Wave rays (orthogonals) converge on the headland, focusing energy there, and diverge in the deeper water of the bays, spreading the energy thinly.
That is why headlands are eroded while bays fill with beaches, and why an irregular coast tends to be straightened over time. Refraction therefore does control the distribution of energy, and it does not spread it equally or concentrate it in the bays.
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