MIT Scientists Predict 'Rogue' Waves

CAMBRIDGE, MA - Throughout history sailors have been terrorized by random “walls of water” that seemingly come out of nowhere. Now, a new MIT breakthrough could give modern sailors a few minutes’ warning of a monstrous wave.

A tool developed by MIT engineers could predict a rogue wave two or three minutes in advance, giving sailors enough time to shut down essential operations on a ship or offshore platform, MIT reported.

The super-accurate technology uses an algorithm to look at data from surrounding waves to spot clusters that could develop into a behemoth wave.

These freak waves have only been recognized by scientists for the past few decades because they are too rare to be studied, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“[The technology is] precise in the sense that it’s telling us very accurately the location and the time that this rare event will happen,” Themis Sapsis, American Bureau of Shipping Career Development Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, said in a statement. “We have a range of possibilities, and we can say that this will be a dangerous wave, and you’d better do something. That’s really all you need.”

To put this technology to use ships will need to install high-resolution scanning technologies and radar to monitor surrounding waves.

See the full video from MIT below:

Photo via MIT News