A new study published in Physical Review Letters used an innovative method to analyze the anomalous waves, a phenomenon that is still unclear today and whose origins are mostly unknown. Let’s see the results together.
Rogue waves (called rogue waves in English) have long been described – in popular stories – as gods terrifying giants in the water; but recent technologies allow us to identify them at sea more easily, and the current definition provides that the wave is at least twice as high as the surrounding ones.
Most of these reach a height of between 25 and 30 metres; it is no coincidence that the first and most famous measurement was l’onda Draupnera 25.6 meter giant, occurred in 1995 in the North Sea.
However, despite the progress made (also thanks to AI capable of predicting anomalous waves), the causes that lead to their formation remain mysterious. There are some characteristics that we know, such as the fact that strong winds influence their formation, since the higher the wave the stronger the wind blows on it, creating a progressive increase in the wave until its speed exceeds that of the wind. However, there remain other elements to consider.
As Professor Alessandro Toffoli, a researcher at the University of Melbourne, explains, his team used a three-dimensional imaging system to scan the ocean surface, providing in-depth details. During their passage by boat, the sensors collected data on both young waves influenced by the winds than the mature ones.
The rogue waves recorded were one every six hours or so, and the results showed a tendency of young waves to self-amplifyincreasing the chances of growth.
Just as predicted by their theoretical work, the researchers ultimately found that in oceanic conditions characterized by mature waves, the formation of gigantic waves is completely absent.
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