The existence of large ocean waves in excess of 80 feet tall that form and disperse quickly used to be thought impossible. Then the conventional wisdom is that such waves were possible, but extremely rare. Now Reuters notes that a satellite survey of the ocean during three weeks in 2001 finds that such waves are, in fact, relatively common occurrences.
In just those three weeks, researchers spotted ten waves in excess of 80 feet tall. As Reuters notes, that poses a problem since ships and off-short platforms are generally built to survive maximum 50 foot waves
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