article · Physical Review Letters
Direct observations of ocean surface waves and concurrent wind speeds were recorded using a stereo camera system during a winter expedition across the Southern Ocean aboard the research icebreaker S.A. Agulhas II. The resulting dataset tracks water surface elevations across multiple sea states, spanning early wave growth through to full development. These measurements provide experimental confirmation of rogue seas, defined as conditions displaying heavy-tailed probability density functions that substantially exceed standard predictions from bound mode theory. Such rogue states emerge specifically during the wave growth phase, underpinned by strong wind forcing and high nonlinearity. Quasiresonance wave-wave interactions capture this extreme behaviour, whereas wave statistics return to normal distributions once the wind forcing diminishes and the sea reaches full development.
Extreme ocean waves present significant hazards to vessels and maritime operations. By providing direct field observations of rogue seas in the Southern Ocean, this work demonstrates how severe wind forcing and wave-wave interactions trigger abnormally high waves during active growth stages, advancing the fundamental physical understanding of how dangerous sea conditions form.
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We report direct observations of surface waves from a stereo camera system along with concurrent measurements of wind speed during an expedition across the Southern Ocean in the austral winter aboard the South African icebreaker S.A. Agulhas II. Records include water surface elevation across a range of wave conditions spanning from early stages of wave growth to full development. We give experimental evidence of rogue seas, i.e., sea states characterized by heavy tails of the probability density function well beyond the expectation based on bound mode theory. These conditions emerge during wave growth, where strong wind forcing and high nonlinearity drive wave dynamics. Quasiresonance wave-wave interactions, which are known to sustain the generation of large amplitude rogue waves, capture this behavior. Wave statistics return to normality as the wind forcing ceases and waves switch to a full developed condition.
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DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.132.154101
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