They are also known as rogue waves or giant waves and are considered to be the largest waves in the world, with a height equivalent to a building up to 10 stories high. These spontaneous waves are not caused by the state of the ocean or the wind, nor are they caused by earthquakes or tidal waves; their origin has been the subject of research and controversy and even came to be considered a myth because no one had managed to capture when they occurred.
Monster waves recorded in the world
They are considered monster waves when their size doubles the height of the sea in which they are found, regardless of whether the sea is calm or rough. In 1995, it was confirmed that these waves, known as solitary or vagabond waves, were not a literary myth when a 25-meter wave was detected surrounded by waves of approximately 6 meters.
However, the first time they were recorded was in Alaska in 1958, when due to a landslide wave up to more than 30 meters high was recorded. Then in the year 2000, the British oceanographic vessel “Rockall,” recorded one of the largest waves in the world in the west of Scotland; it had a height of 29.1 meters to its crest.
In 1995, the “Queen Elizabeth II” vessel encountered a 5-meter-high wave in the Atlantic Ocean. Later in 2005, the “Aleutian Ballad” faced an 18-meter wave that formed out of nowhere and capsized the ship. Four years earlier, there were also reports of vessels reporting major damage to their ships after encountering a huge wave in the South Atlantic.
Because the reason for their formation is unknown, beachgoers are now being asked to be careful, as they can occur spontaneously. They may be formed when small waves join energies by combining. However, they do not always represent a threat, in the south, it is thought that riding these waves means having reached the top in surfing.
Study of the giant waves
Engineers and oceanographers from the University of Southampton, UK together with researchers from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) have been studying this phenomenon for a long time, and have concluded that these waves now occur less frequently, but their consequences are still devastating due to the increase in the size of their crests.
The principal investigator of the article published in the journal Scientific Reports, Alex Cattrell has said that “the occurrence of giant waves is difficult to predict, but simply understanding when and how these rare events occur is extremely important for mariners, both in terms of safety and economics.”
This has been concluded through a study where twenty years’ worth of data was analyzed, between 1994 and 2016, among which data was collected from 15 sea surface buoys from Seattle to San Diego. For now, there is no deeper explanation as to how these types of giant waves are created in the sea, but one thing we know is that they do exist and are not just part of the myths surrounding the watery giant.
Story originally published in Spanish in Ecoosfera
