Date: 03/20/09

Speaker: L. Henry

Title: Qualifying and quantifying waves in the search for rogue waves

Abstract:
Rogue waves are large and spontaneous ocean surface waves that have a  wave height more
than twice the significant wave height in an ocean  wave field. Several different
mechanisms are likely to be causes of  rogue waves. It is theoretically possible to have
a rogue wave occur  by natural, nonlinear processes from a random background of smaller 
waves. This can be seen for example, in unstable, growing modes in  solutions to the
nonlinear Schrödinger equation for deep water (NLS).  It is also possible that rogue
waves are a normal part of wave  statistics whereby they are the extremity. In this talk,
I will  describe a method I have developed for defining wave heights in a wave  field,
allowing better understanding of how ocean surface wave  heights’ statistical
properties coincide with rogue wave occurrence  using  fundamental ocean wave height
statistical models and a large  scale, non-linear, phase resolved simulation of ocean
wave fields.