Every week, somewhere in the world’s vast oceans, a ship is lost. Their loss may be attributed to carelessness, faulty equipment, stormy weather or perhaps something more bizarre and cataclysmic. Rogue waves have been intriguing and perplexing scientific minds for years. Stories of great “walls of water” told by mariners of the past were often dismissed as delusional fabrications.
Today, there are well-documented reports proving the existence and size of these extraordinary leviathan waves.
What are Rogue Waves or Freak Waves?
A rogue or freak wave is a spontaneous, unexpected wave towering above the significant wave heights around it; the monster wave is a short-lived singular wave having no other waves nearby comparable in size. Rogue waves have been reported on coasts as well as in the open ocean in rough or calm seas. The waves pose a real threat to mariners and offshore drilling platforms. Rogues exert more than 100 tons of pressure per square meter -- over six times the amount a merchant ship was designed to handle.
Freak waves have been reported to exceed 30 meters in height in contrast to a normal 7 to 15 meters in rough seas. Oddly, rogue waves have been seen traversing against dominant currents and wave sequences.
When do Rogue Waves appear?
Currently, there is no way of accurately predicting the appearance of a rogue wave. Documented rogue waves were caught quite by accident and were not measured by any standardized instrument. The traditional linear model of measuring wave height is inconsistent with freak waves; they do not seem to fit a pattern.
There are a few theories about how a rogue wave comes to be but even the best theories are incomplete. The hypothesis of “constructive interference” asserts that a series of several waves overlap, combining to form a colossal wave. Other theories include surface wind magnification of existing effects; environmental surroundings contributing to wave formation; researchers also postulate the “non-linear Schrodinger effect” where energy is absorbed from surrounding waves to create a larger wave.
Rogue Waves Appear More Frequently Than Once Thought
Until 1995, when the North Sea Draupner oil platform was hit by a monster wave measuring 26 meters in height with onboard instruments, researchers believed that a 30 meter wave was a once in 10,000- years-occurrence. In the past 20 years, 20 ships have been pummeled along the coast of South Africa by waves mocking the linear prediction system. (BBC) Another North Sea oil rig, the Goma, collected data evidencing that rig encountered 466 rogue waves over a period of 12 years. (A.M. Costa Rica) The shocking data awakened oceanographers and meteorologists to the reality that the behemoth waves make a much more regular appearance.
The MaxWave Project
With knowledge of the relatively frequent manifestations, the European Union recognized the need to obtain more information on the habits of these waves; the implications for the shipping industry and offshore structures are devastating. In 2000, project MaxWave was launched. The goal was to substantiate the prevalence of rogues and to ascertain greater understanding of wave habits and how they form.
The MaxWave project utilized the European Space Agency’s ERS spacecrafts which possess Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology capable of operating in different modes. Radar technology is especially useful because of its ability to “see” through clouds, stormy conditions and darkness. The satellites took images of the ocean every 200km in 10km by 5km frames. The ESA then created the ocean-wave spectra which condensed the images to create a global ocean average of wave energy and direction. Over a three-week period, 10 waves were detected worldwide reaching heights over 94 feet. (A.M. Costa Rica)
The WaveAtlas Project
The WaveAtlas project is the sequel to the MaxWave project. WaveAtlas was launched with in intention of developing a forecast system using statistical analyses of collected imagettes from the MaxWave project as well as two entire years of additional ERS imagettes. Patterns have emerged: rogue waves often materialize where a quotidian wave collides with ocean currents and eddies. It is hypothesized that the intensity of the current concentrates the wave energy forming a greater wave. This type of rogue manifestation has been observed off of the coast of South Africa at the particularly threatening Agulhas current as well as in the North Atlantic Gulf Stream. Conversely, rogue waves have been recorded in open seas far from ocean currents near weather fronts or in low pressure areas. (ESA)
Rogue Waves Are Not Fully UnderstoodAlthough there's some understanding of few potential causes of freak waves, they are only theories. The 1972 movie, The Poseidon Adventure, starring Gene Hackman, depicts a cruise ship that is capsized by a rogue wave. The story is not so far-fetched. In March 2010, two passengers were killed after three freak waves exceeding 25 feet, pummeled their cruise ship, the Louis Majesty, in the Mediterranean.
Sources
- Fox News: Cruise Passenger: Rogue Waves Were 'Terrifying' (accessed December 8, 2010)
- MaxWave Project: MaxWave Project Summary (accessed June 2010)
- A.M. Costa Rica: Wave Action (accessed December 8, 2010)
- BBC Science & Nature: Freak Wave - Programme Summary (accessed December 8, 2010)
- NOAA: Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory - Rogue Waves (accessed June 2010)
- European Space Agency: Ship-sinking monster waves revealed by ESA satellites (accessed December 8, 2010)
Vanessa Barnes - Vanessa Barnes is a freelance writer based in central Florida. Her background includes sales, executive recruiting, resume writing and ...
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