“It came from nowhere, snapping giant ships in two. No one believed the survivors . . . until now” —New Scientist magazine cover, June 30, 2001 Rogue waves are the focus of this book. They are among the waves naturally - served by people on the sea surface that represent an inseparable feature of the Ocean. Rogue waves appear from nowhere, cause danger, and disappear at once. They may occur on the surface of a relatively calm sea and not reach very high amplitudes, but still be fatal for ships and crew due to their unexpectedness and abnormal features. Seamen are known to be unsurpassed authors of exciting and horrifying stories about the sea and sea waves. This could explain why, despite the increasing number of documented cases, that sailors’ observations of “walls of - ter” have been considered ctitious for a while. These stories are now addressed again due to the amount of doubtless evidence of the existence of the phenomenon, but still without suf cient information to - able interested researchers and engineers to completely understand it. The billows appear suddenly, exceeding the surrounding waves by two times their size and more, and obtaining many names: abnormal, exceptional, extreme, giant, huge, s- den, episodic, freak, monster, rogue, vicious, killer, mad- or rabid-dog waves, cape rollers, holes in the sea, walls of water, three sisters, etc.

A riveting and rollicking tour-de-force about the terrifying power of nature's most deadly phenomena — colossal waves — and the scientists and super surfers who are obsessed with them. The New York Times bestselling author of The Devil's Teeth probes the dramatic convergence of baffling gargantuan waves that pummel oil rigs and sink massive ships, the extreme surfers willing to stare down death in order to ride them, and the marine scientists trying to unlock the physics of these waves, the climate changes that are provoking them, and what chaos they might wreak. Susan Casey explores the phenomenon of monster waves and how they have become an obsession for extreme surfers like Laird Hamilton — who serves as the author's guide as she takes the reader into the intense, white-knuckle world of 100-foot waves.

Rogue waves remain something of a mystery. Long believed to be a myth or an exaggeration, they haven't been the subject of any kind of serious in-depth research - until now. This book makes rigorous marine science accessible to all, exploring the causes and frequency of rogue waves, and the reasons why some waves become killer monsters. With anecdotes, historical reports and objective analysis, all illustrated with evocative and rare photographs, Michel Olagnon's groundbreaking book is a definitive contribution to our understanding of this much-feared phenomenon. Amongst other questions in the book, he examines: - How are rogue waves created? - How do they live and die? - Are there different types? - Do they appear from nowhere? - Can ships and boats cope with them? - What lessons can be learned from past encounters? - Will meteorologists be able to provide warnings? Authoritative but highly readable, this is a fascinating and unique study into rogue waves, offering insights for all readers, but crucial advice for those who might encounter this dangerous phenomenon at sea.

The oceans cover 71% of the planet and pose a myriad of hazards to everyone from blue-water sailors to the casual beachcomber. From rip currents to rogue waves, the possibilities for some water-borne calamity seem endless, but in most cases a deadly outcome can be avoided or at least mitigated by having a better understanding of the risks involved. This book presents cautionary tales of the most dangerous aspects of oceans encounters, including hazardous sea life such as sharks and rays, the power of waves and high seas that can engulf an entire fleet of naval vessels. In each case the author provides actual examples of various ocean phenomena and the people who either survive or succumb to them, from competitive big-wave surfers to the passengers and crew of the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2, severely damaged by a 95-foot wave that seemed to come out of nowhere in the middle of the night. The author also addresses several well-known maritime disasters and their causes, as well as such phenomena as the so-called Bermuda Triangle. Above all, The Ominous Oceans seeks t provide a better understanding of the perilous seas, so that we will be better prepared before taking that swim or venturing off to places unknown.

The Power of the Sea describes our struggle to understand the physics of the sea, so we can use that knowledge to predict when the sea will unleash its fury against us. In a wide-sweeping narrative spanning much of human history, Bruce Parker, former chief scientist of the National Ocean Service, interweaves thrilling and often moving stories of unpredicted natural disaster with an accessible account of scientific discovery. The result is a compelling scientific journey, from ancient man's first crude tide predictions to today's advanced early warning ability based on the Global Ocean Observing System. It is a journey still underway, as we search for ways to predict tsunamis and rogue waves and critical aspects of El Niño and climate change caused by global warming.

This book gives an overview of the theoretical research on rogue waves and discusses solutions to rogue wave formation via the Darboux and bilinear transformations, algebro-geometric reduction, and inverse scattering and similarity transformations. Studies on nonlinear optics are included, making the book a comprehensive reference for researchers in applied mathematics, optical physics, geophysics, and ocean engineering. Contents The Research Process for Rogue Waves Construction of Rogue Wave Solution by the Generalized Darboux Transformation Construction of Rogue Wave Solution by Hirota Bilinear Method, Algebro-geometric Approach and Inverse Scattering Method The Rogue Wave Solution and Parameters Managing in Nonautonomous Physical Model

Water wave kinematics is a central field of study in ocean and coastal engineering. The wave forces on structures as well as sand erosion both on coastlines and in the ocean are to a large extent governed by the local distribution of velocities and accelerations of the water particles. Our knowledge of waves has generally been derived from measurements of the water surface elevations. The reason for this is that the surface elevations have been of primary interest and fairly cheap and reliable instruments have been developed for such measurements. The water wave kinematics has then been derived from the surface elevation information by various theories. However. the different theories for the calculation of water particle velocities and acceleration have turned out to give significant differences in the calculated responses of structures. In recent years new measurement techniques have made it possible to make accurate velocity measurements. Hence. the editors deemed it to be useful to bring together a group of experts working actively as researchers in the field of water wave kinematics. These experts included theoreticians as well as experimentalists on wave kinematics. It was also deemed useful to include experts on the response of structures to have their views from a structural engineering point of view on what information is really needed on water wave kinematics.

The Bestselling Classic Updated for Surfers, Sailors, Oceanographers, Climate Activists, and Those Who Love the Sea First published in 1963 and updated in 1979, this classic was an essential handbook for anyone who studies, surfs, protects, or is fascinated by the ocean. The original author, Willard Bascom, was a master of the subject and included a wealth of information, based on theory and statistics, but also anecdotal observation and personal experience. It brought to the general public understanding of the awesome and complex power of the waves. This revision from Kim McCoy adds recent facts and anecdotes to update the book's relevance in the time of climate change. One of the most significant effects of global warming will be sea-level rise. What will this mean to waves and beaches, and what effects are we already seeing? New text and photos cover events such as the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, Hurricane Katrina flooding of 2005, and the 2011 earthquake and resulting devastation in Fukishima. As well as students, surfers, and the general public, this updated edition of a beloved classic is an essential handbook for climate scientists and ocean activists, providing clear explanations and detailed resources for the constant battle to preserve the shore.

Wave breaking represents one of the most interesting and challenging problems for fluid mechanics and physical oceanography. Over the last fifteen years our understanding has undergone a dramatic leap forward, and wave breaking has emerged as a process whose physics is clarified and quantified. Ocean wave breaking plays the primary role in the air-sea exchange of momentum, mass and heat, and it is of significant importance for ocean remote sensing, coastal and ocean engineering, navigation and other practical applications. This book outlines the state of the art in our understanding of wave breaking and presents the main outstanding problems. It is a valuable resource for anyone interested in this topic, including researchers, modellers, forecasters, engineers and graduate students in physical oceanography, meteorology and ocean engineering.

Ch. 1. Model for fully nonlinear ocean wave simulations derived using Fourier inversion of integral equations in 3D / J. Grue and D. Fructus -- ch. 2. Two-dimensional direct numerical simulations of the dynamics of rogue waves under wind action / J. Touboul and C. Kharif -- ch. 3. Progress in fully nonlinear potential flow modeling of 3D extreme ocean waves / S.T. Grilli [und weitere] -- ch. 4. Time domain simulation of nonlinear water waves using spectral methods / F. Bonnefoy [und weitere] -- ch. 5. QALE-FEM method and its application to the simulation of free-responses of floating bodies and overturning waves / Q.W. Ma and S. Yan -- ch. 6. Velocity calculation methods in finite element based MEL formulation / V. Sriram, S.A. Sannasiraj and V. Sundar -- ch. 7. High-order Boussinesq-type modelling of nonlinear wave phenomena in deep and shallow water / P.A. Madsen and D.R. Fuhrman -- ch. 8. Inter-comparisons of different forms of higher-order Boussinesq equations / Z.L. Zou, K.Z. Fang and Z.B. Liu -- ch. 9. Method of fundamental solutions for fully nonlinear water waves / D.-L. Young, N.-J. Wu and T.-K. Tsay -- ch. 10. Application of the finite volume method to the simulation of nonlinear water waves / D. Greaves -- ch. 11. Developments in multi-fluid finite volume free surface capturing method / D.M. Causon, C.G. Mingham and L. Qian -- ch. 12. Numerical computation methods for strongly nonlinear wave-body interactions / M. Kashiwagi, C. Hu and M. Sueyoshi -- ch. 13. Smoothed particle hydrodynamics for water waves / R.A. Dalrymple [und weitere] -- ch. 14. Modelling nonlinear water waves with RANS and LES SPH models / R. Issa [und weitere] -- ch. 15. MLPG_R method and Its application to various nonlinear water waves / Q.W. Ma -- ch. 16. Large Eddy simulation of the hydrodynamics generated by breaking waves / P. Lubin and J.-P. Caltagirone -- ch. 17. Recent advances in turbulence modeling for unsteady breaking waves / Q. Zhao and S.W. Armfield -- ch. 18. Freak waves and their interaction with ships and offshore structures / G.F. Clauss