A new forecasting system will warn ships of violent giant waves on the high seas
This new tool uses Artificial Intelligence to predict violent giant waves (Rogue Waves) and warn ships.
![Giant, violent and treacherous waves, Rogue Waves, Freak Waves Giant, violent and treacherous waves, Rogue Waves, Freak Waves](https://services.meteored.com/img/article/novo-sistema-de-previsao-vai-alertar-navios-contra-ondas-gigantes-violentas-em-alto-mar-1722878918155_1024.jpg)
The so-called 'rebel giant waves' in the ocean, known as 'Rogue Waves' in English, are abnormally large, unpredictable and sudden-onset waves that can be extremely dangerous for ships, marine infrastructure and other maritime equipment.
The 'Rogue Waves', also known as 'Freak Waves' in English, are giant and violent waves in the ocean that occur unexpectedly and dangerously. They are also known as "rebel waves."
It is still being investigated how and when these waves are formed, but a possible cause is already known. They can be formed due to constructive interference, when several waves move at different speeds and directions, overlapping each other and strengthening each other. This can form giant and imposing waves.
In this sense, reliable forecasts of these giant waves can mitigate the risks for operations at sea. Thus, two scientists came together to develop an efficient system for predicting these phenomena based on field measurements (buoy data) and with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The results of the research were recently published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Forecast of dangerous giant and treacherous waves
Researchers from the University of Maryland, used artificial intelligence and thousands of buoy data points to measure the elevation of the sea surface in real time and provide advance warnings about giant waves.
This new forecasting tool will allow precautions and even route changes to be taken for boats that are at risk of being affected by the phenomenon on the high seas.
The 'treacherous giant waves' are larger than twice the size of the waves that surround them, they are very unpredictable and often come unexpectedly from different directions.
And how did the researchers create this prediction system? They tread a neural network based on 14 million 30-second samples with sea surface elevation measurements of 172 buoys located off the coast of the United States and the Pacific islands. The objective was to train the AI system to be able to analyze which waves would trigger new giant waves.
![giant waves, Rogue waves, Freak Waves giant waves, Rogue waves, Freak Waves](https://services.meteored.com/img/article/novo-sistema-de-previsao-vai-alertar-navios-contra-ondas-gigantes-violentas-em-alto-mar-1722878954981_1024.jpg)
In the tests, the new forecast system was able to correctly identify giant wave events with a 75% accuracy rate, which is already positive. However, according to the study, for an operating system, this accuracy must be increased even more.
The new forecasting system managed to identify violent events of giant waves ('Rogue Waves') with 75% accuracy.
In addition, the new tool can become even more precise by adding more data to the analyses, such as wind speed, water depth and information about the location of the waves.
Researchers believe that these results will lead to early warning systems that could prevent the worst effects of violent tsunamis. Balakumar Balachandran, one of the authors, commented that the neural network used in the study could also have broader applications. "Our data-based approach could be useful for understanding and predicting other associated extreme events," he said.
Reference of the news:
Breunung, T. ; Balachandran, B. Prediction of freak waves from buoy measurements. Scientific Reports, v. 14, n. 16048, 2024.