In December 2024, a major storm in the Pacific Ocean created unprecedented waves, with rotating satellites recording the largest waves ever detected from the universe.
These waves then fueled two legendary surfing events: the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational Award in Waimea Bay, Hawaii, USA and record-breaking surfing at Mavericks Beach, California, USA.
Scientists from the European Space Agency (ESA) have just released detailed data collected by SWOT satellites. Analysis shows that on December 21, 2024, the average wave height will reach 19.7m, while individual waves may exceed 35m. This is an important milestone in satellite ocean observation.
The European Space Agency said that recent satellite observations show that the waves in recent storms have reached unprecedented heights. Data also shows that long waves can bring the energy of distant storms to coastal areas thousands of kilometers away. Even though the center of the storm is thousands of kilometers away from land, the energy generated by the storm can still spread throughout the ocean and cause damage to the coasts from afar.
The research team led by research director Fabrice Ardhuin of the Oceanographic and Space Institute (France) focused on analyzing Typhoon Eddie, which was determined to have the largest average wave height in the past decade.
The impact of Eddie is far beyond its formation, as the waves generated by the storm travel up to 24,000km in the ocean. From the northern Pacific, Eddie will travel across the Drake Strait and eventually reach the Atlantic Ocean between December 21, 2024 and January 6, 2025.
Mr. Ardhuin revealed the next direction of the discovery: The next step is to link the results with climate change. We will experiment with a model. We now have the ability to monitor the trend of storm intensity over time. Climate change may be a driving force but not the only factor. Seabed conditions also affect waves and very large storms like this rarely appear, about once a decade, so it is difficult to prove the trend".
These findings are important for protecting coastal communities and maritime infrastructure amid global fluctuations.
In response to the huge wave caused by Eddie, historical simulation data from the CCI Sea State project shows that the highest wave in 34 years appeared in January 2014, when Hurricane Hercules in the Atlantic created a 23m high wave, causing damage from Morocco to Ireland.
