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posted by cmn32480 on Friday August 07 2015, @07:59AM   Printer-friendly
from the subsurface-tsumani dept.

A group of scientists from the University of Miami have been tracking waves of a different breed – unseen colossal, skyscraper-tall underwater waves that are present in every one of our oceans.

Subsurface waves, otherwise known as internal waves (IW) are initiated by the effects of Earth's gravity, and rarely ever break the surface. To understand an IW, imagine separating the ocean into layers of water that get denser and denser as you go farther down. An IW is like a surface wave that occurs on one of the lower strata of the ocean levels.

Internal waves move much slower than their exterior counterparts, and whilst the height of the surface ocean remains essentially unaffected, the water layers beneath rise and fall dramatically as these waves pass by.

There's so much energy in those oceans. If the engineering challenges could be overcome tapping the currents, tides, and waves like these could solve a big chunk of mankind's demand for power.

takyon: University of Miami source.


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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday August 07 2015, @08:39AM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Friday August 07 2015, @08:39AM (#219476) Journal

    Did you just say TANSTAAFL?

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