It's been on sailors' lips for centuries, but science has finally confirmed the legend.

The scientific debate surrounding the formation of giant "unruly waves," the stuff of centuries-old sailors' legends and the ability to swallow ships, has come to an end with a comprehensive new study. Researchers have proven that these giant waves are not anomalies, but rather occur within the natural laws of the ocean and are now predictable.

The scientific world's interest in rogue waves began with the first scientific recording of the giant wave that struck the Draupner oil platform in the North Sea on January 1, 1995.

"This case confirmed what sailors have been telling us for centuries. The existence of these sudden, massive waves, long considered a myth, has been proven," says Francesco Fedele of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

For nearly 30 years following this discovery, there was no consensus in the scientific world on how these waves were formed.

An international research team led by Professor Fedele has analyzed data from more than 27,500 waves recorded in the North Sea over 18 years, creating the largest dataset to date. The analysis shows that the formation of giant waves does not require the "exotic" mechanisms previously thought, but rather arises from a combination of two fundamental processes:

Linear Focusing: The combination of energies of waves traveling from different directions and at different speeds, overlapping at the exact same point in space and time. This combination creates a wave crest that is much higher than normal.

Nonlinear Effects: A process that naturally alters the shape of waves. This effect makes the crests of waves sharper and higher, and the troughs flatter. This distortion can increase the height of an already large wave by an additional 15-20%.

Researchers say that when these two natural phenomena occur simultaneously, those legendary "unruly waves" appear.

Old theory disproved

This study also refuted the most popular theory explaining the formation of giant waves, "modulation instability." Fedele demonstrated that this theory only applies to one-way wave channels, such as those in laboratories, and does not reflect open ocean conditions, where energy flows in multiple directions.

"These anomalous waves follow the natural laws of the ocean and are not an exception to the rule," Fedele summarized his findings. This discovery is expected to improve safety by improving wave prediction models for maritime shipping and offshore platforms in the future.