Unique water tank allows scientists to replicate rogue ocean waves

An international team of scientists have demonstrated how ocean winds can generate spontaneous rogue waves. This is the first step to predicting the potentially dangerous phenomena. Rogue or freak waves are extremely large, steep waves appearing in deep ocean, surging without warning and seemingly at random. They can cause severe damage to ships and structures like oil and gas rigs, but little is understood about how they form. Lead researcher Associate Professor Alessandro Toffoli said, 'Rogue waves were believed to be a sailor's myth for centuries. However, we now have evidence that rogue waves are causing marine accidents more and more often so the ability to forecast them would be hugely beneficial.' Assoc Prof Toffoli was recently on an Antarctic Circumnavigating Expedition (ACE) studying extreme wave conditions. In the Southern Ocean, strong winds like the notorious Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties blow around the Antarctic continent, originating the fiercest and most extreme waves on the planet.