Meteorology · Ocean Currents — Effect on Seas
When a strong current (such as the Gulf Stream) opposes the wind, the seas:
- AFlatten out and become safer
- BBecome shorter, steeper, and more dangerous than the wind alone would produce✓ Correct
- CAre unaffected by the current
- DDisappear entirely
Explanation
A current running against the wind compresses the waves, shortening their length and steepening them into dangerous, breaking seas — a notorious hazard where the Gulf Stream or Agulhas Current opposes a gale. Routers and mariners avoid crossing such areas in strong wind-against-current conditions.
Authority: Bowditch (Pub. No. 9), Waves and Currents
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