Once thought to be sailors’ tall tales, rogue waves became real science in 1995 when an 80-foot (24-meter) wall of water struck the Draupner oil platform. New studies show these extreme waves form when ordinary ocean behaviors, like waves lining up or stretching unevenly, converge at the wrong moment. Using North Sea data, researchers confirmed rogue waves arise from common physics. Now, models are being developed that could one day help forecast these sudden, towering hazards.
Click through the following gallery to see how scientists are studying the mystery of rogue waves and the dramatic impact these sudden giants can have on the world’s oceans.