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New Software Could Warn Sailors of Rogue Waves

Posted by kdawson on from the that's-no-wave dept.

Reservoir Hill writes "Sailors have been telling stories for centuries about monstrous ocean waves that tower over a hundred feet in the air and toss ships around like corks. While these were once dismissed as nautical myth, but a few years back synthetic aperture radar from ESA's ERS satellites helped establish the existence of these 'rogue' waves and study their origins. Such waves were far more common than anyone had expected. Now a researcher in Madrid has developed software that can detect rogue waves from radar images, with the possibility of providing advance warning to ships at sea. The software uses a mathematical model to evaluate and process the spatial and temporal dimensions of waves inferred from the interaction between the radar's electromagnetic energy and the sea surface. The result is displayed in a color-coded image."

3 of 131 comments (clear)

  1. In Soviet Russia... by Vthornheart · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    waves hit YOU.

    ?

    --
    -Vendal Thornheart
  2. But can it Warn Sailors of icebergs? by Joe+The+Dragon · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    But can it Warn Sailors of icebergs?

  3. I've heard that... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    rogue waves do it from behind.