In an event that scientists say happens “once in a millennium,” a report published last week says that a wave as high as a four-story building was recorded off the coast of British Columbia, Canada.
The wave, measuring 57’ 7” high, was the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded. It was measured off Ucleulet, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, on November, 2020. It was recorded by MarineLabs Data Systems in Victoria, BC, and announced last week in a study published in the journal Scientific Reports by Dr. Johannes Gemmrich and Leah Cicon from the University of Victoria.
The giant wave was recorded in a sea state of 19’ 6”, roughly three times the size of waves around it. Rogue waves are more than twice the height of surrounding waves.
“Proportionally, the Ucluelet wave is likely the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded,” Gemmrich said. “Only a few rogue waves in high sea states have been observed directly, and nothing of this magnitude. The probability of such an event occurring is once in 1,300 years.”
The wave was recorded by one of MarineLabs’ sensor buoys about seven kilometers off Ucluelet (see the map above). The buoys measure waves and ocean movement. Ironically, Ucluelet means “people of the safe harbor” in the local indigenous language.
In a press release, Dr. Scott Beatty, the CEO of MarineLabs, said, “The unpredictability of rogue waves, and the sheer power of these ‘walls of water,’ can make them incredibly dangerous to marine operations and the public.
“The potential of predicting rogue waves remains an open question, but our data is helping to better understand when, where and how rogue waves form, and the risks they pose.” Read more at https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/12/weather/rogue-wave-record-vancouver-island/index.html and see the video below:
