Scientists have discovered that ocean waves can become far more extreme and complex than previously thought possible. A new study published in Nature reveals that under specific conditions, where waves meet each other from different directions, waves can reach heights four times steeper than what was once considered the maximum.
The researchers found that three-dimensional waves, which have more complex, multidirectional movements, can be twice as steep before breaking compared to conventional two-dimensional waves. Moreover, these waves can continue to grow even after breaking has occurred.
The findings have implications for offshore structure design, weather forecasting, and climate modeling, while also affecting our fundamental understanding of several ocean processes.
Professor Ton van den Bremer noted that the phenomenon is unprecedented, stating that once a conventional wave breaks, it forms a white cap, and there’s no way back. However, when a wave with high directional spreading breaks, it can keep growing.
The study suggests a review of current design and safety features of marine structures to account for the more complex and extreme behavior of three-dimensional waves. The findings could also impact our fundamental understanding of several ocean processes, including air-sea exchange and the transport of particulate matter in the oceans.
The project follows previous research on recreating and studying the famous Draupner freak wave at the FloWave Ocean Energy Research Facility. The team developed a new 3D wave measurement technique to study breaking waves more closely.
Dr. Thomas Davey stated that creating complexities of real-world sea states at laboratory scale is central to the mission of FloWave, while Dr. Ross Calvert added that this work takes it to a new level by using the multidirectional capabilities of the wave basin to isolate these important wave-breaking behaviors.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2024-09-ocean-limits.html