GALWAY: Freak or rogue waves which cause serious shipping accidents may become more common, an EU conference on marine research heard in Galway yesterday.
Two research projects carried out in European waters over the last five years indicate that such waves may be far more common than previously estimated, Ms Konstanze Reichert, of OceanWaves in Luneburg, Germany, told the conference, hosted by the Marine Institute and the European Science Foundation.
European scientists have already acknowledged that the Atlantic is getting rougher, but such "rogue" waves have been recorded in all of the main shipping routes extending from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, and North Sea and to the Pacific.
Mr Peter Ryder, chairman of the European organisation Eurogoos, said climate change was posing a very significant challenge to weather forecasters analysing sea areas.
He said climate change cast doubts on the representative nature of a body of environmental information gathered over many years, and the suitability of structures, such as offshore rigs, where were built years ago. Much remained to be done to persuade potential beneficiaries - including shipping interests - of the merits of more research.