They reveal the cause of unpredictable giant waves

April 15 () –

A University of Melbourne expedition to the southernmost waters surrounding Antarctica has discovered that the wind It drives the formation of colossal giant or monster waves.

They have also verified how these unpredictable waves occur more frequently than scientists had previously thought, which provides critical information to inform future prediction models of this type of spontaneous waves that are not explained by the state of the sea or by earthquakes. and which constitute a serious threat even to large ships and ocean liners.

These types of ocean waves are among the most powerful natural forces on Earth, and as global trends suggest ocean winds will blow stronger due to climate change, Ocean waves could become more powerful.

In a study published in Physical Review Lettersthe research team led by Professor Alessandro Toffoli discovered that giant waves arise from strong wind forces and unpredictable waveform patterns, confirming an idea previously demonstrated only in laboratory experiments.

Professor Toffoli said: “The giant waves are colossal, twice as tall as neighboring waves, and they appear seemingly out of nowhere.”

Using cutting-edge technology and embarking on an expedition to one of the most volatile ocean kingdoms on Earth, the research team implemented a novel technique to obtain three-dimensional images of ocean waves. Operating stereo cameras aboard the South African icebreaker SA Agulhas II during the 2017 Antarctic expedition, they captured rare information about wave behavior in this remote region.

Their method, which mimics human vision through sequential images, allowed the team to reconstruct the ocean's undulating surface in three dimensions, providing unprecedented clarity about the dynamics of ocean waves.

The first scientific measurement of a rogue wave was the 25.6 meter Draupner wave, recorded in the North Sea in 1995. In the 21st century, 16 suspected incidents of monster waves have been reported.

“The rough seas and wild winds of Antarctica can cause large waves to 'self-amplify'resulting in a frequency of rogue waves that scientists had theorized for years, but could not yet verify in the ocean,” Professor Toffoli said it's a statement.

Based on numerical and laboratory studies, which had suggested the role of wind in the formation of rogue waves, The research team's observations have validated these theories in the real ocean environment.

“Our observations now show that unique marine conditions with monster waves arise during the 'young' stage of waves, when they respond best to wind. This suggests that wind parameters are the missing link,” Professor Toffoli said.

“The wind creates a chaotic situation in which waves of different dimensions and directions coexist. The wind makes the young waves grow higher, longer and faster. During this self-amplification, one wave grows disproportionately at the expense of its neighbors.

“We show that young waves show signs of self-amplification and a higher probability of becoming giant due to wind. We record waves twice as tall as their neighbors once every six hours,” Professor Toffoli said.

“This reflects laboratory models: that sea conditions theoretically more prone to self-amplification produce more giant waves. On the contrary, we do not detect monster waves in mature seas, which are not affected by the wind“.

Professor Toffoli emphasized the critical importance of integrating wind dynamics into predictive models for giant wave forecasting.

“This shows that when developing tools to predict monster waves, scientists must take the wind into account.”