Rogue waves

What are Rogue waves? Rogue waves (also known as freak waves, monster waves, episodic waves, killer waves, extreme waves, and abnormal waves) are unusually large, unpredictable, and suddenly appearing surface waves that can be extremely dangerous to ships, even to large ones. They are sometimes called a "rogue" wave because they can appear without warning, either from a direction not expected, or from the direction of the main body of a body of water.

Rogue waves have been observed to have sizes ranging from 100 feet to over 200 feet (30 m) in width, and over 250 yards in length. The largest rogue wave ever recorded was an enormous 265 feet (archeological evidence indicates that there have been larger ones in the past). Rogue waves usually arise from sudden changes in wind speed or direction, but may also be caused by tsunamis and other large-scale movements in the water.

Rogue waves are not an entirely new phenomenon; they have been noted since ancient times. But many mariners will tell you that the larger rogue waves of modern times are more common than in the past. While some scientists remain skeptical about this, there is little disagreement that some of the seas around us can be very dangerous, even more so than previously thought.

What causes rogue waves? Because rogue waves come seemingly out of nowhere, many experts believe that they form at random, in more or less the same manner as natural ones arise. It is believed that rogue waves do not occur with any greater frequency than other large waves, but their considerable size makes them stand out among the thousands of other large waves visible on the water each day. Rogue waves are most likely to arise when the sea is choppy, which is usually when there are large waves in the area.

Rogue waves may occur in large bodies of water such as the open ocean, or even enclosed bodies of water such as harbors or various types of bays. They may also occur in tidal areas where strong tidal currents form near channels with shallow entrances, including shallow parts of lakes. Rogue waves may also occur when they encounter shoal waters; this can cause them to collapse into an extremely steep wave that continues to travel after it has broken into pieces (a phenomenon known as shoaling or nonlinear resonance).

Rogue waves are thought to be one major reason why ships disappear in the Bermuda Triangle. Although there is some disagreement over this, it is generally thought that the area was notorious for them for centuries. The Bermuda Triangle is a region of open ocean in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean, which is believed to have a reputation for being notoriously dangerous. Occurrences of unexplained disappearances or deaths of ships have occurred there for centuries. The area between Bermuda, Miami, and Puerto Rico is unusually shallow, which may contribute to the formation of rogue waves in that area. Some scientists are working on ways to predict when they occur, which would be a major help for mariners. There are even some scientists who believe that temperatures in the water may play a role in the emergence of rogue waves, but more research is needed to prove this. 

Can we predict rogue waves? This has been a long-standing controversy among experts; there does not seem to be any way of predicting when or where a rogue wave will arise. Some scientists believe that they usually form when two smaller swells collide and combine to create a single huge wave (an effect known as constructive interference); the sea is often choppier in these areas afterward. The problem with predicting rogue waves is that we do not really understand why all large ocean waves are not rogue waves.