A wave is the formation of a ridge or swell in a fluid surface by wind or other causes.
LARGE WIND WAVES
Large waves form under certain weather conditions at certain times of the year, travelling big distances in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. They become dangerous when they reach the shallow waters of the continental shelves at 200 metres/100 fathoms, especially when they meet currents, for example the Agulhas current to the east of South Africa and the Gulf Stream.
The highest wave ever recorded was 91ft (27m) — as tall as six double-decker buses — in the Gulf of Mexico during Hurricane Ivan in September, 2004.
The highest wave ever detected by a buoy was 62.3 feet (19m) high and happened on February 4, 2013, in the North Atlantic Ocean between Iceland and the United Kingdom at coordinates 59° N, 11° W.
Rogue or monster waves appear without warning and are extremely huge and often steep (cliff like) with very deep troughs.
Rogue waves are distinct from tides, caused by the Moon and Sun's gravitational pull, waves generated by underwater explosions or the fall of meteorites or tsunamis that are caused by underwater earthquakes, landslides or volcanic eruptions—all having far longer wavelengths than wind waves.
A widely reported phenomenon among sailors for centuries the first rogue wave documented and witnessed with measurable equipment was recorded at the Draupner platform in the North Sea off the coast of Norway on January 1, 1995 and was 25.6m (84ft) tall.
The Agulhas Current, off the coast of Durban, in South Africa, produces some of the biggest waves in the world. In this busy shipping area, rogue waves can reach heights of over 100 feet (30 meters).
Rogue waves are considered responsible for the sudden disappearance, without distress calls of many sound ships.
A tsunami is a series of fast-moving waves in the ocean caused by powerful earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
The typical length of tsunami waves is about 100 times the depth. As a result, the speed of travel of a wave in the ocean with an average depth of approximately 13,200 feet (4,000 meters) is of around 440 miles per hour (700 kilometers per hour), which means the speed of a jet aircraft.
The largest wave ever recorded by humans measured 1,720 feet (524 meters). It occurred on July 9, 1958 when Alaska's Lituya Bay was hit by a megatsunami triggered by an earthquake. The force of the wave removed all trees and vegetation from elevations as high as 1720 feet above sea level. Two occupants of a small fishing boat that was in the area surfed that wave and survived to tell the story.
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was among the deadliest natural disasters in human history, with at least 230,000 people killed or missing in 14 countries bordering the Indian Ocean.
One of the few coastal areas to evacuate ahead of the 2004 tsunami was on the island of Simeulue. Due to island folklore recounting an earthquake/tsunami in 1907, the islanders fled inland following the initial shaking. Generational folklore saving the lives of the islanders 97 years later.
Wave power is power obtained by harnessing the power of the waves.
The idea of turning wave energy into electricity first took place in Paris in 1799 when Monsieur Girard and his son patented a mechanism to drive wave power to activate pumps, mills, saws and heavy machinery.
Various schemes to harness the power of the waves were advanced in the mid-1970s when oil prices rose dramatically and the prospects of an energy shortage became serious.
The world's first wave energy farm was installed in September 2008. Three Pelamis wave-following attenuation devices were installed offshore near Póvoa de Varzim north of Porto in Portugal.
In theory, the wave energy potential of the United States is estimated to be of 2.64 trillion kWh, which means around 65 percent of all the electricity in the country in 2016.
Most waves we see coming in from the horizon are a product of wind that blows over large areas of the ocean. Length, height, period and speed are the main characteristics of a typical sea wave.
In the Southern Hemisphere, there is less difference in wave height between the warm and cold seasons, resulting in more consistent surfing conditions throughout the year.
The sound of a wave breaking is actually that of hundreds of millions of air bubbles bursting at the shoreline.
Sources Hutchinson Encyclopedia, Surfertoday
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| Pixiebay |
LARGE WIND WAVES
Large waves form under certain weather conditions at certain times of the year, travelling big distances in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. They become dangerous when they reach the shallow waters of the continental shelves at 200 metres/100 fathoms, especially when they meet currents, for example the Agulhas current to the east of South Africa and the Gulf Stream.
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| By Shalom Jacobovitz |
The highest wave ever recorded was 91ft (27m) — as tall as six double-decker buses — in the Gulf of Mexico during Hurricane Ivan in September, 2004.
The highest wave ever detected by a buoy was 62.3 feet (19m) high and happened on February 4, 2013, in the North Atlantic Ocean between Iceland and the United Kingdom at coordinates 59° N, 11° W.
ROGUE WAVES
Rogue or monster waves appear without warning and are extremely huge and often steep (cliff like) with very deep troughs.
Rogue waves are distinct from tides, caused by the Moon and Sun's gravitational pull, waves generated by underwater explosions or the fall of meteorites or tsunamis that are caused by underwater earthquakes, landslides or volcanic eruptions—all having far longer wavelengths than wind waves.
A widely reported phenomenon among sailors for centuries the first rogue wave documented and witnessed with measurable equipment was recorded at the Draupner platform in the North Sea off the coast of Norway on January 1, 1995 and was 25.6m (84ft) tall.
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| Merchant ship labouring in heavy seas as a huge wave looms ahead, ca. 1940. |
The Agulhas Current, off the coast of Durban, in South Africa, produces some of the biggest waves in the world. In this busy shipping area, rogue waves can reach heights of over 100 feet (30 meters).
Rogue waves are considered responsible for the sudden disappearance, without distress calls of many sound ships.
TSUNAMI
A tsunami is a series of fast-moving waves in the ocean caused by powerful earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
The typical length of tsunami waves is about 100 times the depth. As a result, the speed of travel of a wave in the ocean with an average depth of approximately 13,200 feet (4,000 meters) is of around 440 miles per hour (700 kilometers per hour), which means the speed of a jet aircraft.
The largest wave ever recorded by humans measured 1,720 feet (524 meters). It occurred on July 9, 1958 when Alaska's Lituya Bay was hit by a megatsunami triggered by an earthquake. The force of the wave removed all trees and vegetation from elevations as high as 1720 feet above sea level. Two occupants of a small fishing boat that was in the area surfed that wave and survived to tell the story.
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was among the deadliest natural disasters in human history, with at least 230,000 people killed or missing in 14 countries bordering the Indian Ocean.
One of the few coastal areas to evacuate ahead of the 2004 tsunami was on the island of Simeulue. Due to island folklore recounting an earthquake/tsunami in 1907, the islanders fled inland following the initial shaking. Generational folklore saving the lives of the islanders 97 years later.
WAVE POWER
Wave power is power obtained by harnessing the power of the waves.
The idea of turning wave energy into electricity first took place in Paris in 1799 when Monsieur Girard and his son patented a mechanism to drive wave power to activate pumps, mills, saws and heavy machinery.
Various schemes to harness the power of the waves were advanced in the mid-1970s when oil prices rose dramatically and the prospects of an energy shortage became serious.
 |
| Pelamis Wave Energy Converter on site at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), in 2008 |
The world's first wave energy farm was installed in September 2008. Three Pelamis wave-following attenuation devices were installed offshore near Póvoa de Varzim north of Porto in Portugal.
In theory, the wave energy potential of the United States is estimated to be of 2.64 trillion kWh, which means around 65 percent of all the electricity in the country in 2016.
FUN WAVE FACTS
Most waves we see coming in from the horizon are a product of wind that blows over large areas of the ocean. Length, height, period and speed are the main characteristics of a typical sea wave.
In the Southern Hemisphere, there is less difference in wave height between the warm and cold seasons, resulting in more consistent surfing conditions throughout the year.
The sound of a wave breaking is actually that of hundreds of millions of air bubbles bursting at the shoreline.
Sources Hutchinson Encyclopedia, Surfertoday
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