Article Posted on : - Sep 25, 2009

A file photo of Rogue Waves.

WASHINGTON (PTI): The mystery of why there are "rogue waves" in the world's oceans may soon be solved, thanks to scientists who claim to be using mathematics to explain the phenomenon.

Until recently, rogue waves were regarded as fanciful sea tales where ships were engulfed by one-off waves with a massive wall of water. Recent studies from the European Union showed that they do exist.

Now, an international team, led by Prof Nail Akhmediev of Australian National University, has been using mathematical equations, used in the field of non-linear optic, to shed some light on rogue waves.

"Waves on the ocean and light beams may seem like totally different things, but the underlying mathematics is almost exactly the same.

"There's no reason why models based on mathematical concepts like the nonlinear Schrodinger equation can't work as well for water as they do for light and quantum wave functions," Prof Akhmediev said.

The solution the team has come up with to explain rogue waves sees two waves amplified by nonlinear effects occur at the same time purely by coincidence.

This leads to further nonlinear behaviour, resulting first in a great hole appearing in the water, followed by a massive peaked wave many times higher than the average wave height in local conditions, the scientists said.

They hope that this discovery will help in learning more about where these rogue waves might appear.