As waves gain energy from the wind, they become steeper and the crests can break into whitecaps. The trough preceding a rogue wave can be quite deep, what nautical lore calls a "hole in the sea." For anyone on a ship, it is a roller coaster plunge that can be disastrous.
Full Answer
Is there such a thing as a rogue hole?
Modern knowledge. In maritime folk-lore, stories of rogue holes are as common as stories of rogue waves. They follow from theoretical analysis but had never been proven experimentally. In 2012 the ANU published research confirming the existence of rogue wave holes on the water surface observed in a water wave tank.
What is a rogue wave in the ocean?
Single rogue waves are usually accompanied by a gigantic trough which has been described as a hole in the ocean floor. The Three Sisters are a triplet wave which are a third or so higher than the surrounding waves, and may be unique to Lake Superior.
Why are rogue waves so rare?
They are often steep-sided with unusually deep troughs. Since these waves are uncommon, measurements and analysis of this phenomenom is extremely rare. Exactly how and when rogue waves form is still under investigation, but there are several known causes: Constructive interference.
Can a new algorithm protect ships from rogue waves at sea?
^ Katherine Noyes (25 February 2016). "A new algorithm from MIT could protect ships from 'rogue waves' at sea". Cio.com. Retrieved April 8, 2016. ^ Will Cousins and Themistoklis P. Sapsis (5 January 2016). "Reduced-order precursors of rare events in unidirectional nonlinear water waves" (PDF). Journal of Fluid Mechanics. 790: 368–388.
What is a rogue hole?
[1] Rogue waves in the ocean can take two forms. One form is an elevated wall of water that appears and disappears locally. Another form is a deep hole between the two crests on the surface of water. The latter one can be considered as an inverted profile of the former.
What are rogue waves also called?
rogue wave. noun. unusually large wave not associated with a storm system or tsunami. Also called a freak wave, monster wave, or extreme wave. significant wave height.
Where did the name rogue wave come from?
A 'rogue wave' is large, unexpected, and dangerous. The wave was moving away from the ship after crashing into it moments before this photo was captured. Rogue, freak, or killer waves have been part of marine folklore for centuries, but have only been accepted as real by scientists over the past few decades.
Has a rogue wave ever sunk a ship?
Cruise-ship sinkings are much rarer, but in recent years some cruise liners have been hit by rogue waves, including: The Explorer, on a “semester-at-sea” sailing in the North Pacific, was damaged in January when the ship, carrying almost 700 American college students, was struck by a wave estimated at 55 feet tall.
What is the largest rogue wave ever recorded?
58-foot-tallRogue waves were once thought to be a myth. Now, scientists say they observed one that was almost 60 feet tall. An enormous, 58-foot-tall swell that crashed in the waters off British Columbia, Canada, in November 2020 has been confirmed as the largest "rogue" wave ever recorded, according to new research.
What to do if you see a rogue wave?
If you recognize the rogue ahead of time, avoid cresting the backside; back off and let it roll away and dissipate. If caught unawares and you do crest the wave, avoid the tendency to reduce the throttle as you stare down the precipice at the gaping hole below.
Can a rogue wave sink an aircraft carrier?
A rogue wave could inflict serious damage to the non structured parts of the ship. However, because of the way Carriers are designed and constructed with 100's of individual water tight compartments, she wouldn't sink…”
Which ocean has the most rogue waves?
North Pacific OceanThe November 2020 "killer wave" was so extreme, such an event is believed to only happen once every 1,300 years. The most extreme "rogue wave" on record has just been confirmed in the North Pacific Ocean.
What is the biggest ocean wave ever recorded?
The official largest open-water wave ever recorded measured 62.3 feet (19 m) and was detected by a buoy in the North Atlantic on Feb. 17, 2013, according to the World Meteorological Organization (opens in new tab).
Can a rogue wave knock over a cruise ship?
Though there haven't been reports of large cruise ships capsizing, rogue waves have destroyed container ships and tankers, and have damaged passenger vessels. In 2001, two cruise ships encountered waves that broke bridge windows. In 1998, Cunard's Queen Elizabeth 2 was struck by 90-foot wave.
Why do cruise ships not tip over?
A large cruise ship usually has several ballast tanks. So the combined effect of a ship's buoyancy, low center of gravity, and ballast keep the ship from tipping over.
Can cruise ships detect rogue waves?
By using high-resolution radar or LIDAR sensors to watch the movement of waves around a ship, and applying the algorithm developed by Sapsis, crews should be able to detect rogue wave minutes before they form, giving them enough time to adjust course, or at least hang on.
What are the 3 types of breaking waves?
There are three basic types of breaking waves: spilling breakers, plunging breakers, and surging breakers.
What are big waves called?
Surge. A surge, or tidal surge, is a large sea wave or a sudden, strong, wavelike volume of water.
Is every 7th wave the biggest?
So the first wave in a group is tiny, the next one is bigger and so on until you get the biggest one in the middle of the group. Then they get smaller again. The last one is tiny, so the biggest wave in the group is in the middle, and if there are 14 waves in a group, the seventh wave is the biggest.
Are rogue waves bigger than tsunamis?
Rogue Waves are NOT Tsunamis The scale of these waves can dwarf even the largest of modern ships, far exceeding any obstacle they are designed to survive.
Why are rogue waves more common?
One concern is that rogue waves may become more common as the Earth’s climate changes. Our planet is in a warming period, which means there is more energy in both the atmosphere and ocean. Scientists predict that over the coming decades, there will be more frequent storms with higher wind speeds.
What is the name of the wave that swept people out of the ocean?
In 2009, five people were pulled out to sea by a rogue wave while standing on a beach at Acadia National Park in Maine. When rouge waves come ashore they are referred to as sneaker waves. Spectators observed waves that day with an average height of about 3.5 meters (12 feet), when a much larger sneaker wave came ashore sweeping the five spectators into the ocean. This wave was attributed to strong winds resulting from an offshore hurricane.
What happens when two waves meet head on?
When the crest and trough of two different waves meet head-on, they can cancel each other out, resulting in a flat sea. But when two crests run into each other, they form a huge wave that is the sum of both wave heights—a rogue wave that towers above other nearby waves.
What happened to the Norwegian Dawn in 2005?
Rogue waves take even seasoned sailors by surprise. In 2005, after the seas had appeared to calm, a rogue wave struck the cruise ship Norwegian Dawn. The ship’s captain had over 20 years of experience, yet said he had never seen anything like it.
How dangerous are rogue waves?
These rogue waves can be incredibly huge and extremely dangerous. Rogue waves are often steep with very deep troughs. Scientists do not completely understand how rogue waves form. One explanation is that wave trains travel thousands of miles across ocean basins, encountering other wave trains as they move.
What is a freak wave?
freak wave. Noun. unusually large wave not associated with a storm system or tsunami. Also called a rogue wave, monster wave, or extreme wave. rogue wave. Noun. unusually large wave not associated with a storm system or tsunami. Also called a freak wave, monster wave, or extreme wave. wave.
How do waves form?
Waves form when wind energy in the atmosphere is transferred to the sea surface. As the wind continues to blow, the sea surface becomes rougher. Waves become more organized and begin traveling in one direction.
Where do rogue waves occur?
Rogue waves can occur in media other than water. They appear to be ubiquitous in nature and have also been reported in liquid helium, in quantum mechanics, in nonlinear optics and in microwave cavities, in Bose–Einstein condensation, in heat and diffusion and in finance.
What is the largest wave in the ocean?
In February 2000, a British oceanographic research vessel, the RRS Discovery, sailing in the Rockall Trough west of Scotland, encountered the largest waves ever recorded by any scientific instruments in the open ocean, with a SWH of 18.5 metres (61 ft) and individual waves up to 29.1 metres (95 ft).
What was the height of the Draupner wave?
However, what caught the attention of the scientific community was the digital measurement of a rogue wave at the Draupner platform in the North Sea on January 1, 1995; called the "Draupner wave", it had a recorded maximum wave height of 25.6 metres (84 ft) and peak elevation of 18.5 metres (61 ft).
What is a sneaker wave?
They are distinct from tsunamis, which are caused by the displacement of water due to other phenomena (such as earthquakes) and are often almost unnoticeable in deep waters. A rogue wave appearing at the shore is sometimes referred to as a sneaker wave.
Where was the Draupner wave?
The wave was recorded in 1995 at Unit E of the Draupner platform, a gas pipeline support complex located in the North Sea about 160 kilometres (100 mi) southwest from the southern tip of Norway.
How high were the waves in the Indian Ocean?
In 1826, French scientist and naval officer Captain Jules Dumont d'Urville reported waves as high as 108 ft (33 m) in the Indian Ocean with three colleagues as witnesses, yet he was publicly ridiculed by fellow scientist François Arago. In that era it was widely held that no wave could exceed 30 ft (9 m). Author Susan Casey wrote that much of that disbelief came because there were very few people who had seen a rogue wave, and survived; until the advent of steel double-hulled ships of the 20th century "people who encountered 100-foot rogue waves generally weren't coming back to tell people about it."
How high can a storm sea wave be?
In a storm sea with a significant wave height of 12 metres (39 ft), the model suggests there will hardly ever be a wave higher than 15 metres (49 ft). It suggests one of 30 metres (98 ft) could indeed happen – but only once in ten thousand years (of wave height of 12 metres (39 ft)).
What causes a rogue wave?
No one knows for certain exactly what causes a rogue wave. For awhile, the impact theory was popular, but satellite footage soon found that the number of midocean meteor landings was nowhere near the number of rogue waves observed.
Why do ocean waves have rogue waves?
It is believed that rogue waves are generally caused by the same mechanism as determines the height of any other ocean wave. Ocean waves can be reinforced by other waves which interact with them, with crests adding to crests and troughs canceling out crests. The final height of an ocean wave on the open sea is the sum of all the wave heights at that spot.
Why do all the crests come together?
Once in a while, all the crests come together just right so that there is little or no cancelation by a wave trough. This is the rogue wave. However, why that particular wave gets as high as it does is still a mystery.
What are the three types of rogue waves?
Different types of rogue waves may have different generating mechanisms. Rogue waves have been categorized into 3 general types: walls of water, single waves, and the “Three Sisters.” Single rogue waves are usually accompanied by a gigantic trough which has been described as a hole in the ocean floor. The Three Sisters are a triplet wave which are a third or so higher than the surrounding waves, and may be unique to Lake Superior. Unlike the other forms of rogue wave, walls of water seem to be capable of extended travel through the ocean without losing their structure.
How high are rogue waves?
Many of these waves are up to 100 feet high. One sea captain described his experience with a rogue wave as “it looked as if we were going into the White Cliffs of Dover.” Even higher waves may be possible, but few ships can survive to report them.
Where can a rogue wave occur?
It has been confirmed that a rogue wave can occur anywhere in the open sea. There doesn’t have to be a nearby storm to produce unusually high waves, although it doesn’t hurt. Many rogue waves are encountered close to the leading edge of storm fronts or even inside the storm itself. A stiff wind is probably a factor in generating many rogue waves.
Can a rogue wave be caused by an earthquake?
On the open ocean, even the strongest tsunamis are only a few inches high. They only grow in height when they reach shallow or otherwise enclosed water, which forces the wave energy upwards. Thus, a rogue wave cannot be caused by an undersea earthquake, because rogue waves only occur on the open sea.
Overview
Background
Rogue waves are an open-water phenomenon, in which winds, currents, non-linear phenomena such as solitons, and other circumstances cause a wave to briefly form that is far larger than the "average" large wave (the significant wave height or "SWH") of that time and place. The basic underlying physics that makes phenomena such as rogue waves possible is that different waves can t…
History of rogue wave knowledge
In 1826, French scientist and naval officer Captain Jules Dumont d'Urville reported waves as high as 33 metres (108 ft) in the Indian Ocean with three colleagues as witnesses, yet he was publicly ridiculed by fellow scientist François Arago. In that era it was widely held that no wave could exceed 9 metres (30 ft). Author Susan Casey wrote that much of that disbelief came bec…
Research efforts
There are a number of research programmes currently underway focussed on rogue waves, including:
• In the course of Project MaxWave, researchers from the GKSS Research Centre, using data collected by ESA satellites, identified a large number of radar signatures that have been portrayed as evidence for rogue waves. Further research is under way to develop better methods of transl…
Causes
Because the phenomenon of rogue waves is still a matter of active research, it is premature to state clearly what the most common causes are or whether they vary from place to place. The areas of highest predictable risk appear to be where a strong current runs counter to the primary direction of travel of the waves; the area near Cape Agulhas off the southern tip of Africa is one such area; the warm Agulhas Current runs to the southwest, while the dominant winds are westerl…
Other media
Researchers at UCLA observed rogue wave phenomena in microstructured optical fibers near the threshold of soliton supercontinuum generation, and characterized the initial conditions for generating rogue waves in any medium. Research in optics has pointed out the role played by a nonlinear structure called Peregrine soliton that may explain those waves that appear and disappear without leaving a trace.
Reported encounters
Many of these encounters are reported only in the media, and are not examples of open ocean rogue waves. Often, in popular culture, an endangering huge wave is loosely denoted as a rogue wave, while it has not been (and most often cannot be) established that the reported event is a rogue wave in the scientific sense – i.e. of a very different nature in characteristics as the surrounding waves in that sea state and with very low probability of occurrence (according to a Ga…
Quantifying the impact of rogue waves on ships
The loss of the MS München in 1978 provided some of the first physical evidence of the existence of rogue waves. München was a state-of-the-art cargo ship with multiple water-tight compartments and an expert crew. She was lost with all crew and the wreck has never been found. The only evidence found was the starboard lifeboat, which was recovered from floating wreckage some time later. The lifeboats hung from forward and aft blocks 20 metres (66 ft) above the waterline. …