Scientists at the University of Southampton (England) found that giant single waves 20-30 meters high, also called killer waves, have become less common in recent years, but their sizes have increased. This was announced in a press release on Phys.org.
The researchers analyzed data collected over more than 20 years (from 1994 to 2016) using 15 buoys located along the west coast of the United States. It turned out that the size of the rogue waves and their frequency depend on the area of the sea and the time of their occurrence. In general, the number of occurrences of their occurrence has decreased over 20 years, however, the size and strength relative to ordinary sea waves have increased. In addition, strong waves are more common during the winter months and are typical for calm seas.
The appearance of killer waves is not associated with such catastrophic events as earthquakes or landslides. It is believed that the main reason for their occurrence is the nonlinear dynamics of surface waves. This phenomenon poses a danger to ships that could be seriously damaged or sink.
