Ro
Maritime government
01-22-2019 06:03:44
A team of researchers based at the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh has recreated for the first time the famous Draupner rogue (freak) wave.
The wave was measured in the North Sea on 1 January 1995 and was one of the first confirmed studies of a roasting wave in the ocean. Rogue waves are suddenly large compared to surrounding waves. They are difficult to predict, often appearing suddenly without warning.
The wave was measured from the Draupner Oil Platform during a marine state with a large wave height of about 12 meters (39 feet), a freak wave with a maximum wave height of 25.6 meters (84 feet) occurred. Prior to the measurement, performed with a descending laser sensor, there was no recorded evidence with an instrument for false waves.
The team of researchers reconstructed the wave using two smaller wave groups and altered the transverse angle – the angle at which both groups travel. It was only possible to reproduce the freak wave when the transverse angle between the two groups was about 120 degrees.
When waves do not cross, wave breaking limits the height that a wave can achieve. However, when waves cross at large angles, the breaking behavior of a wave changes and no longer limits the height that a wave can achieve in the same way.
The research was led by Dr. Mark McAllister and Professor Ton van den Bremer at Oxford University, in collaboration with Drs. Sam Draycott at the University of Edinburgh. The project builds on previous work at Oxford University by Professors Thomas Adcock and Paul Taylor.