Rogue wave

Rogue waves (also known as freak waves, monster waves, or killer waves) are large and unpredictable surface waves that can be extremely dangerous to ships and isolated structures such as lighthouses. They are distinct from tsunamis, which are long-wavelength waves, often almost unnoticeable in deep waters and caused by the displacement of water due to other phenomena (such as earthquakes). A rogue wave at the shore is sometimes called a sneaker wave.

In oceanography, rogue waves are more precisely defined as waves whose heights are more than twice the significant wave height (Hs or SWH), which is itself defined as the mean of the largest third of waves in a wave record. Rogue waves do not appear to have a single distinct cause but occur where physical factors such as high winds and strong currents cause waves to merge to create a single large wave. Research published in 2023 suggests sea state crest-trough correlation leading to linear superposition may be a dominant factor in predicting the frequency of rogue waves.

Among other causes, studies of nonlinear waves such as the Peregrine soliton, and waves modeled by the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLS), suggest that modulational instability can create an unusual sea state where a "normal" wave begins to draw energy from other nearby waves, and briefly becomes very large. Such phenomena are not limited to water and are also studied in liquid helium, nonlinear optics, and microwave cavities. A 2012 study reported that, in addition to the Peregrine soliton reaching up to about three times the height of the surrounding sea, a hierarchy of higher-order wave solutions could also exist having progressively larger sizes and demonstrated the creation of a "super rogue wave" (a breather around five times higher than surrounding waves) in a water-wave tank.

A 2012 study supported the existence of oceanic rogue holes, the inverse of rogue waves, where the depth of the hole can reach more than twice the significant wave height.