Still images showing the most successful reconstruction of the Draupner wave.
Researchers at the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh have worked out the unique set of conditions that allow for the creation of ‘freak’ or ‘rogue’ waves that can seemingly appear without warning and pose a danger to ships and mariners at sea.
During the study, the team set out to recreate the conditions that led to famous Draupner freak wave, one of the first confirmed observations of a freak wave ever recorded. The famous wave was observed on the January 1, 1995 in the North Sea by measurements made on the Draupner Oil Platform.
Freak waves are unexpectedly large in comparison to surrounding waves. They are difficult to predict, often appearing suddenly without warning, and are commonly attributed as probable causes for maritime casualties including the sinking of large ships.
Seeking to understand how freak waves form, the team of researchers set out to reproduce the Draupner wave under laboratory conditions at the FloWave Ocean Energy Research facility at the University Of Edinburgh. What they discovered was that that they could recreate the wave using two smaller wave groups that crossed at a specific angle – approximately 120 degrees.
“When waves are not crossing, wave breaking limits the height that a wave can achieve. However, when waves cross at large angles, wave breaking behavior changes and no longer limits the height a wave can achieve in the same manner,” the researchers noted.
“The measurement of the Draupner wave in 1995 was a seminal observation initiating many years of research into the physics of freak waves and shifting their standing from mere folklore to a credible real-world phenomenon,” said Dr. Mark McAllister at the University of Oxford’s Department of Engineering Science. “By recreating the Draupner wave in the lab we have moved one step closer to understanding the potential mechanisms of this phenomenon.”
Interestingly, the wave they created also resembled the ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’, also known as ‘The Great Wave’, a woodblock print published in the early 1800s by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusa, which is believed to depict a freak, or ‘rogue’, wave.
The researchers hope that this study will lay the groundwork for being able to predict these potentially catastrophic and hugely damaging waves that occur suddenly in the ocean without warning.
A demonstration of the wave can be seen in the video below:
By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen COPENHAGEN, Feb 10 (Reuters) – A surge in demand for goods like furniture and exercise equipment from locked-down consumers has sparked a jump in shipping rates, boosting profits for...
by Shrivathsa Sridhar (Reuters) – Frenchman Yannick Bestaven was declared the winner of the Vendee Globe round-the-world sailing race early last week after he was handed a time bonus of...
By Sheela Tobben (Bloomberg) American oil exports from Louisiana’s offshore supertanker port jumped to a record in January as Asian buyers are stocking up U.S. crude for a post-pandemic rebound...
February 3, 2021
Total Views: 2980
Sign Up Now for gCaptain Daily
Just enter your email and get hot news every morning
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.