The physics of anomalous ('rogue') ocean waves.

There is much speculation that the largest and steepest waves may need to be modelled with different physics to the majority of the waves on the open ocean. This review examines the various physical mechanisms which may play an important role in the dynamics of extreme waves. We examine the evidence for these mechanisms in numerical and physical wavetanks, and look at the evidence that such mechanisms might also exist in the real ocean.