What happens to waves in shallow water?

In shallow water, waves interact with the ocean floor, resulting in a phenomenon known as wave shoaling. As waves move from deeper to shallower areas, the depth influences their speed and shape. The wave base (the depth at which wave energy dissipates) comes into contact with the seafloor, leading to increased friction and slowing of the wave's forward movement. This drag causes the wave to steepen because the wave's height increases relative to its wavelength. Eventually, if the wave becomes too steep, it can lead to breaking, but the characteristic behavior in shallow water is indeed that the wave slows down while becoming steeper due to interaction with the bottom.

The other choices do not accurately reflect the behavior of waves in shallow water. Waves do not maintain their original height and form as they encounter the ocean floor; they undergo noticeable changes. They also don't completely dissipate without any interaction—some energy is continuously transferred, resulting in breaking waves rather than total dissipation. Lastly, waves do not convert into tidal waves; tidal waves (or tsunamis) are a different phenomenon related to the gravitational effects of celestial bodies rather than the behavior of standard ocean waves in shallow water.