Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The wave was measured by a buoy at Campbell Island in the Southern Ocean

Scientists in New Zealand have documented what they believe is the largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere.

The 23.8m (78ft) wave was measured by a buoy on New Zealand's Campbell Island in the Southern Ocean on Tuesday, the country's weather authority said.

It eclipses a 22.03m wave that was identified south of the Australian state of Tasmania in 2012.

Larger waves have been recorded in the northern hemisphere.

The Meteorological Service of New Zealand (MetService) installed its solar-powered buoy in March. The area is known for big storm activity, but waves had been previously difficult to measure.

Bigger waves possible

The "eight-storey high" wave was generated by a deep low pressure system and 65-knot winds, said MetService senior oceanographer Dr Tom Durrant.

"This is a very exciting event and to our knowledge it is the largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere," he told the BBC.

The buoy operates for 20 minutes every three hours. Dr Durrant said it was possible that even bigger waves were generated by the storm but not recorded.

The World Meteorological Organization does not hold official records on individual wave heights. Instead, it records an average of successive swells - a measure known as the "significant wave height".

During the storm recorded by New Zealand, the significant wave height was 14.9m.

That is a record for the Southern Ocean but below a 19m mark measured by a buoy in the North Atlantic in 2016, Dr Durrant said.

He said storms moved across the Southern Ocean largely unhindered due to a lack of land.

"[It is] the engine room for generating swell waves that then propagate throughout the planet," he said.

"Indeed surfers in California can expect energy from this storm to arrive at their shores in about a week's time."</s>A wave measuring nearly 80 feet tall was recorded by a buoy in a remote area off New Zealand’s Campbell Island, in the Antarctic Ocean on Tuesday.

A storm’s deep low pressure system and 65-knot winds fueled the 78-foot wave, Dr. Tom Durrant, a senior oceanographer with the Meteorological Service of New Zealand, told the BBC.

"This is a very exciting event and to our knowledge it is largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere," he told the outlet.

The country installed a solar-powered buoy in March to measure wave height. The buoy can only operate for 20 minutes every three hours, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

The minimal recording time could mean it was “very probable” even greater waves occurred during the storm, Durrant said. Storm conditions forecast heights possibly larger than 82 feet just north of the buoy location.

"Essentially the peak of the waves could stay under the storms for quite a long period of time, and that's what allowed them to grow so rapidly," Durrant told 9 News Australia.

The mammoth wave surpassed a 72-foot wave documented in 2012 south of Tasmania, located off Australia’s southern coast, the BBC reported.

Larger waves have been recorded in the northern hemisphere, according to the outlet.

California's surfers can expect the energy from this southern hemisphere storm to hit their shores in about a week, Durrant said.

</s>Scientists have recorded what is believed to be the largest wave ever in the Southern Hemisphere, a 23.8 metre monster the height of an eight-storey building.

A buoy recorded the wave on Tuesday during a ferocious storm in the notoriously wild Southern Ocean near Campbell Island, some 700km south of New Zealand, research body MetOcean Solutions said.

Senior oceanographer Tom Durrant said it wiped out the previous southern-hemisphere record of 22.03 metres recorded in 2012.

“To our knowledge it is largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere,” he said, adding that the Southern Ocean was an “engine room” for generating swell waves that move across the planet.

“Indeed, surfers in California can expect energy from this storm to arrive at their shores in about a week’s time,” he said.

Durrant added that even bigger waves topping 25 metres were probably whipped up by the storm, which tracked east through the area on Tuesday, but the buoy was not in the best place to record them.

He said the buoy, installed in March to measure the extreme conditions in the Southern Ocean, also only recorded for a 20-minute burst every three hours to conserve its batteries.

“It’s very probable that larger waves occurred while the buoy was not recording,” he said.

The largest wave ever noted was an earthquake-generated tsunami at Alaska’s Lituya Bay in 1958 that measured 30.5 metres, according to magazine.

Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa was recently acknowledged as having ridden the biggest wave ever surfed, a 24.38 metre giant at Nazare in Portugal last November. But unlike the wave heights recorded by ocean buoys, the height of this wave was decided by a matter of estimation, based on comparing it to Koxa’s crouching height in photos.</s>Scientists have recorded a wave measuring 23.8 metres, the height of an eight-storey building, in the Southern Ocean near New Zealand’s Campbell Island, AFP reported on Thursday. This is believed to be the largest wave ever measured in the southern hemisphere. The previous record was set by a 22.03-metre wave clocked by an Australian buoy in south Tasmania in 2012, reported BBC.

The record-breaking wave was measured during a storm on Tuesday, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. “This is a very exciting event and to our knowledge it is the largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere,” said Tom Durrant, senior oceanographer at Met Ocean Solutions, which is a part of New Zealand’s meteorological service. He told The Sydney Morning Herald said that “it is quite possible, even probable, that there were much higher waves during this storm.”

Durrant added that Tuesday’s wave was generated by a deep low-pressure system and wind speed exceeding 65 knots. He said storms moved across the Southern Ocean unhindered due to lack of land. “It is the engine room for generating swell waves that then propagate throughout the planet,” he said. “Indeed surfers in California can expect energy from this storm to arrive at their shores in about a week’s time.”</s>At 78 feet tall, and churned by a fierce storm, it’s the largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere, New Zealand scientists report.

“This is a very exciting event and to our knowledge it is largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere,” said Tom Durrant, a senior oceanographer with MetOcean Solutions, in a statement. “So, this is a very important storm to capture, and it will add greatly to our understanding of the wave physics under extreme conditions in the Southern Ocean.”

The wave was recorded on the night of May 9 by a MetOcean buoy, which is currently floating in the Southern Ocean near Campbell Island about 430 miles (692 km) south of New Zealand. The wave reached a height of 78 feet (23.8 meters) as a storm rolled through the region. The previous record, also recorded by MetOcean Solutions, was a 63.6-foot (19.4 meter) wave that rolled through the same patch of ocean last year.

The wave was detected by a single solar powered buoy, which samples wave conditions for 20 minutes every three hours. The intermittent sampling is done to conserve energy. During the recording period, the height, period, and direction of each wave is measured, and the data is transmitted to a receiving satellite. Oceanographers with MetOcean Solutions, a subsidiary of the state-owned Meteorological Service of New Zealand (MetService), believe the peak heights of waves were even higher during the storm. Their wave forecast predicted individual waves reaching heights of 82 feet (25 meters).



The Southern Ocean is one of the least-studied areas on Earth. Its persistent and energetic winds make it an “engine room” for wave development, producing waves that traverse the globe, including the iconic surfing waves that reach the California coast.

The May 9 storm was generated by the easterly passage of a deep low-pressure system, and accompanied by winds reaching 65 knots (75 mph/120 km/h). These low-pressure storms are typical in the Southern Ocean, and they can strike at any time of the year, unlike in the northern hemisphere where similar storms only happen in winter.

When measuring waves, oceanographers use a metric called “significant wave height.” It’s a standard value that characterizes sea conditions, and it takes the average of the highest third of a measured wave. The May 9 storm produced a significant wave height of 48.9 feet (14.9 meters), which is now a record for the Southern Ocean. But it’s not the biggest ever recorded; that distinction goes to a 2013 North Atlantic wave with a significant wave height of 62 feet (19 meters).</s>A solitary buoy in the remote Southern Ocean has recorded a monster wave of 23.8 metres, the largest wave ever measured in the southern hemisphere.

A wave rider buoy moored at Campbell Island off New Zealand's South Island registered the huge wave on Tuesday, according to Tom Durrant, a senior oceanographer at Metocean, part of Meteorological Metservice of New Zealand (MetService).

Since the buoy only registered the first 20 minutes of each three hours, "it's quite possible, even probable, that there were much higher waves during this storm", Dr Durrant said.

It eclipsed the previous record maximum individual 22.03 metres clocked at an Australian buoy south of Tasmania in 2012.

The so-called significant wave height for the event, which is an average of the top third of waves measured from their crest to trough, was registered at 14.9 metres.</s>Two days ago, New Zealand scientists measured a mammoth 78-foot tall wave. This is the largest wave ever measured in the southern hemisphere – beating the old record of 64 feet set just last year. Both were measured by a buoy in the Southern Ocean, about 430 miles south of the southern tip of New Zealand.</s>Scientists have recorded what is believed to be the largest wave ever in the southern hemisphere, a 23.8 metre (78 foot) monster the height of an eight-floor building.

A buoy recorded the wave on Tuesday during a ferocious storm in the notoriously wild Southern Ocean near Campbell Island, some 700 kilometres (430 miles) south of New Zealand, research body MetOcean Solutions said.

Senior oceanographer Tom Durrant said it wiped out the previous southern-hemisphere record of 22.03 metres recorded in 2012.

"To our knowledge it is largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere," he said, adding that the Southern Ocean was an "engine room" for generating swell waves that move across the planet.

"Indeed, surfers in California can expect energy from this storm to arrive at their shores in about a week's time," he said.

Durrant added that even bigger waves topping 25 metres were probably whipped up by the storm, which tracked east through the area on Tuesday, but the buoy was not in the best place to record them.

He said the buoy, installed in March to measure the extreme conditions in the Southern Ocean, also only recorded for a 20-minute burst every three hours to conserve its batteries.

"It's very probable that larger waves occurred while the buoy was not recording," he said.

The largest wave ever noted was an earthquake-generated tsunami at Alaska's Lituya Bay in 1958 that measured 30.5 metres, according to Smithsonian magazine.</s>A buoy recorded the wave on Tuesday during a ferocious storm in the notoriously wild Southern Ocean near Campbell Island, some 700 kilometres south of New Zealand, research body MetOcean Solutions said

Scientists have recorded what is believed to be the largest wave ever in the southern hemisphere, a 23.8 metre monster the height of an eight-floor building. A buoy recorded the wave on Tuesday during a ferocious storm in the notoriously wild Southern Ocean near Campbell Island, some 700 kilometres south of New Zealand, research body MetOcean Solutions said.

Senior oceanographer Tom Durrant said it wiped out the previous southern-hemisphere record of 22.03 metres recorded in 2012. "To our knowledge it is largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere," he said, adding that the Southern Ocean was an "engine room" for generating swell waves that move across the planet.

Durrant added that even bigger waves topping 25 metres were probably whipped up by the storm, which tracked east through the area on Tuesday, but the buoy was not in the best place to record them.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever</s>Scientists have recorded what is believed to be the largest ocean wave ever in the southern hemisphere, a 23.8 metre (78 foot) monster that equals the height of an eight-floor building.

A buoy recorded the wave on Tuesday during a ferocious storm in the notoriously wild Southern Ocean near Campbell Island, some 700 kilometres (430 miles) south of New Zealand, research body MetOcean Solutions said.

Senior oceanographer Tom Durrant said it wiped out the previous southern-hemisphere record of 22.03 metres recorded in 2012. Bowled over by the findings, he even suggested that the west coast of America would be feeling the effects soon:

“To our knowledge, it is the largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere. The Southern Ocean is an “engine room” for generating swell waves that move across the planet. Indeed, surfers in California can expect energy from this storm to arrive at their shores in about a week’s time.”

Biggest ocean wave ever recorded near New Zealand

Durrant added that even bigger waves topping 25 metres were probably whipped up by the storm, which tracked east through the area on Tuesday, but the buoy was not in the best place to record them.

He said the buoy, installed in March to measure the extreme conditions in the Southern Ocean, also only recorded for a 20-minute burst every three hours to conserve its batteries.

“It’s very probable that larger waves occurred while the buoy was not recording,” he said.

The largest wave ever noted was an earthquake-generated tsunami at Alaska’s Lituya Bay in 1958 that measured 30.5 metres, according to Smithsonian magazine.

It’s more evidence of “seas behaving badly”. A previous AFP report described how ocean heatwaves can have “devastating and long-term impacts” on ecosystems. They have become longer and more frequent over the past century, according to an international study published Tuesday.

From 1925 to 2016, the number of annual marine heatwave days globally jumped by 54 percent, with a noticeable acceleration over the last three decades, a paper in the journal Nature Communications said.
Scientists at MetService record a wave measuring 23.8 metres (78 ft) high in the Southern Ocean near Campbell Island, New Zealand, making it the largest wave ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere.