Articles | Volume 22, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-22-1839-2004
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-22-1839-2004
08 Apr 2004
 | 08 Apr 2004

Freak waves - more frequent than rare!

P. C. Liu and U. F. Pinho

Abstract. Contrary to the widely held notion that considers the occurrence of freak waves in the ocean as being rare, from an examination of five years of wave measurements made in the South Atlantic Ocean, we found the occurrence of freak waves is actually more frequent than rare.

Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (waves and tides) – Oceanography: physical (surface waves and tides; air-sea interaction)