What are ‘rogue waves’ and how can AI help predict them?

Sub: Geo

Sec: Hydrology

Rogue Waves

Rogue waves are unusually large waves compared to ones which come before and after, that can threaten ships, coastal and offshore infrastructure, and human lives.
No forecasting method existed for rogue waves until recently.

AI Forecasting Method:

University of Maryland mathematicians Thomas Breunung and Balakumar Balachandran developed an AI program to forecast rogue waves.
The AI was trained using billions of data points from 172 ocean buoys.
The AI can distinguish wave patterns that precede rogue waves up to five minutes in advance.

Deadly Surprises:

Sea state refers to the condition of the water surface at a specific location and time.
The WMO sea state code rates wave height on a scale from 0 (no waves) to 9 (waves over 14 m).
Rogue waves are twice the size of surrounding waves and often form when swells converge or when ocean currents compress swells.
Rogue waves have caused significant fatalities and ship sinkings due to the lack of a real-time forecasting method.