Courtney Greenberg - Yesterday
© Provided by National Post
A rogue wave, also known as freak or killer waves, is twice the height of the ones surrounding it.
A wave as high as a four-storey building — “likely the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded” — was measured off Ucluelet, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, B.C.
“Only a few rogue waves in high sea states have been observed directly, and nothing of this magnitude. The probability of such an event occurring is once in 1,300 years,” said Johannes Gemmrich, a physical oceanographer at the University of Victoria , who co-authored a new report in the journal Scientific Reports.
The report revealed that the rogue wave measuring 17.6 metres occurred in 2020 and was recorded by MarineLabs Data Systems (MarineLabs) in Victoria, B.C. It was recorded approximately seven kilometres offshore.
Rogue waves, also known as freak or killer waves, are twice the height of the ones surrounding them. They can be dangerous for marine operations, onshore and offshore structures, and beachgoers, the report explained, because they are forceful and hard to predict.
“The potential of predicting rogue waves remains an open question, but our data is helping to better understand when, where and how rogue waves form, and the risks that they pose,” said MarineLabs CEO Dr. Scott Beatty .
© MarineLabs
A wave as high as a four-storey building — “likely the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded” — was measured off Ucluelet, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, B.C.
“Only a few rogue waves in high sea states have been observed directly, and nothing of this magnitude. The probability of such an event occurring is once in 1,300 years,” said Johannes Gemmrich, a physical oceanographer at the University of Victoria , who co-authored a new report in the journal Scientific Reports.
The report revealed that the rogue wave measuring 17.6 metres occurred in 2020 and was recorded by MarineLabs Data Systems (MarineLabs) in Victoria, B.C. It was recorded approximately seven kilometres offshore.
Rogue waves, also known as freak or killer waves, are twice the height of the ones surrounding them. They can be dangerous for marine operations, onshore and offshore structures, and beachgoers, the report explained, because they are forceful and hard to predict.
“The potential of predicting rogue waves remains an open question, but our data is helping to better understand when, where and how rogue waves form, and the risks that they pose,” said MarineLabs CEO Dr. Scott Beatty .
© MarineLabs
A rugged ocean sensor buoy deployed off Ucluelet, B.C. that measured the rogue wave.
The “Draupner” wave , observed in 1995 off Norway was the first rogue wave recorded. It proved “the existence of so-called rogue or freak waves are not a seafarer’s folklore,” according to the report. The “Draupner” wave was 25.6 metres high, slightly more than double the size of the surrounding 12-metre waves.
The latest rogue wave off of B.C.’s coast was almost three times the size of the surrounding waves, which were 6 metres high.
The Ucluelet rogue wave was the fourth in a group of about 10. The waves before and after were not as large, showing that rogue waves usually occur “near the centre of a group and are unexpected,” the report said.
It was measured using one of MarineLabs sensor buoys. A network of them have been placed along coastlines and in oceans around North America that provide real-time data .
Although no damage to Vancouver Island due to the rogue wave was reported, it is believed that a water supply line running across the Ucluelet Inlet to the Ucluelet First Nation was ruptured because of strong ocean currents in mid-January. It is possible it was caused by a tsunami surge after a volcano eruption near the Tonga Islands.
Beatty said one of his goals is to be able to help coastal communities with MarineLabs technology. They are planning to expand their network of buoys to 70 in 2022.
“We are aiming to improve safety and decision-making for marine operations and coastal communities through widespread measurement of the world’s coastlines,” said Beatty.
The “Draupner” wave , observed in 1995 off Norway was the first rogue wave recorded. It proved “the existence of so-called rogue or freak waves are not a seafarer’s folklore,” according to the report. The “Draupner” wave was 25.6 metres high, slightly more than double the size of the surrounding 12-metre waves.
The latest rogue wave off of B.C.’s coast was almost three times the size of the surrounding waves, which were 6 metres high.
The Ucluelet rogue wave was the fourth in a group of about 10. The waves before and after were not as large, showing that rogue waves usually occur “near the centre of a group and are unexpected,” the report said.
It was measured using one of MarineLabs sensor buoys. A network of them have been placed along coastlines and in oceans around North America that provide real-time data .
Although no damage to Vancouver Island due to the rogue wave was reported, it is believed that a water supply line running across the Ucluelet Inlet to the Ucluelet First Nation was ruptured because of strong ocean currents in mid-January. It is possible it was caused by a tsunami surge after a volcano eruption near the Tonga Islands.
Beatty said one of his goals is to be able to help coastal communities with MarineLabs technology. They are planning to expand their network of buoys to 70 in 2022.
“We are aiming to improve safety and decision-making for marine operations and coastal communities through widespread measurement of the world’s coastlines,” said Beatty.
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