shipping

WTF Fun Fact 13636 – AI and Rogue Waves

For centuries, sailors have whispered tales of monstrous rogue waves capable of splitting ships and damaging oil rigs. These maritime myths turned real with the documented 26-meter-high rogue wave at Draupner oil platform in 1995.

Fast forward to 2023, and researchers at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Victoria have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to predict these oceanic giants. They’ve developed a revolutionary formula using data from over a billion waves spanning 700 years, transforming maritime safety.

Decoding Rogue Waves: A Data-Driven Approach

The quest to understand rogue waves led researchers to explore vast ocean data. They focused on rogue waves, twice the size of surrounding waves, and even the extreme ones over 20 meters high. By analyzing data from buoys across the US and its territories, they amassed more than a billion wave records, equivalent to 700 years of ocean activity.

Using machine learning, the researchers crafted an algorithm to identify rogue wave causes. They discovered that rogue waves occur more frequently than imagined, with about one monster wave daily at random ocean locations. However, not all are the colossal 20-meter giants feared by mariners.

AI as a New-Age Oceanographer

The study stands out for its use of AI, particularly symbolic regression. Unlike traditional AI methods that offer single predictions, this approach yields an equation. It’s akin to Kepler deciphering planetary movements from Tycho Brahe’s astronomical data, but with AI analyzing waves.

The AI examined over a billion waves and formulated an equation, providing a “recipe” for rogue waves. This groundbreaking method offers a transparent algorithm, aligning with physics laws, and enhances human understanding beyond the typical AI black box.

Contrary to popular belief that rogue waves stem from energy-stealing wave combinations, this research points to “linear superposition” as the primary cause. Known since the 1700s, this phenomenon occurs when two wave systems intersect, amplifying each other momentarily.

The study’s data supports this long-standing theory, offering a new perspective on rogue wave formation.

Towards Safer Maritime Journeys

This AI-driven algorithm is a boon for the shipping industry, constantly navigating potential dangers at sea. With approximately 50,000 cargo ships sailing globally, this tool enables route planning that accounts for the risk of rogue waves. Shipping companies can now use the algorithm for risk assessment and choose safer routes accordingly.

The research, algorithm, and utilized weather and wave data are publicly accessible. This openness allows entities like weather services and public authorities to calculate rogue wave probabilities easily. The study’s transparency in intermediate calculations sets it apart from typical AI models, enhancing our understanding of these oceanic phenomena.

The University of Copenhagen’s groundbreaking research, blending AI with oceanography, marks a significant advancement in our understanding of rogue waves. By transforming a massive wave database into a clear, physics-aligned equation, this study not only demystifies a long-standing maritime mystery but also paves the way for safer sea travels. The algorithm’s potential to predict these maritime monsters will be a crucial tool for the global shipping industry, heralding a new era of informed and safer ocean navigation.

— WTF fun facts

Source: “AI finds formula on how to predict monster waves” — ScienceDaily

WTF Fun Fact 12728 – Frederic Tudor’s International Ice Shipment

Have you heard of Frederic “The Ice King” Tudor? He may sound like European royalty, but he was actually the American founder of international ice shipment (long before people could make their own).

Tudor figured out how to carve ice chunks out of bodies of water – particularly Wenham Lake in Massachusetts – and send it as far away as India and New Zealand by ship!

And did we mention that this was in the 1800s, before refrigeration?

Tudor was initially mocked for his attempts to ship it. Of course, his first attempts were the utter failures one might expect from someone trying to send ice cubes to the Caribbean. (He also spent time in debtor’s prison after being scammed by a business partner.)

Tudor was born in 1783, and by 1820, he had indeed figured out a way to put ice on a boat and send it pretty much anywhere in the world. Perhaps more impressive was his ability to send it to people who had never even seen or heard of ice before. He just convinced them they needed it! (In fact, he played a major role in New Zealand’s booming ice cream industry as a result.)

When the Harvard grad first began his business, he need to purchase his own ship since no ship owners would allow him to rent space on their vessels for a product guaranteed to melt all over the place. Luckily, buying his own ship meant he could control the conditions much more closely.

So, how did Tudor’s international ice shipment production get ice all the way to India and places in between? He insulated giant cubes by packing them in sawdust. Of course, this wasn’t always successful, and there was a tremendous among of ice lost in the process, but there was usually enough to sell by the time it reached its destination. (Even Queen Victoria got her ice from Massachusetts.)

By 1847, he was shipping over 22 tons of ice to foreign ports, three of which were in India. To give you an idea of the accomplishment, that’s a 14,000-mile journey that requires crossing the equator twice.

Of course, Tudor didn’t invent the idea of enjoying ice – the ancient Greeks, Romans, Persians, and Chinese all found ways to store ice during the winter to use during the warmer months. They just didn’t ship it as far as Tudor did.

Source: “Frederic Tudor | New England’s Ice King” — ThoughtCo

WTF Fun Fact 12453 – Spontaneously Combusting Pistachios

Pistachios are delicious and nutritious but also a little bit dangerous at times.

Who knew?

So, first of all, pistachios are pretty hard to grow, which helps explain why they’re so expensive. The trees on which they grow are very temperamental, requiring long, hot, dry summers and no ground freezes. A pistachio tree also won’t produce the goods if it doesn’t have about 1000 total hours of dormancy at a temperature of about 45 degrees. Oh, and they hate humidity. So if you have a friend or officemate who can never get the temperature right, you kind of know what we mean here.

Pistachios were a Middle Eastern delicacy that once traveled along trade routes as Islam spread around Europe. (Fun fact: trade goods like spices and cloth weren’t the only things that traveled along trade routes – ideas and religion did too!)

After they made their way across the alps, they were known as the “Latin Penny Nut” and used for all sorts of Italian cooking. Then, after WWII, they became a snack food.

In the U.S., pistachios are domestically grown, and 99% come from California, representing a $1.6 billion boon to the economy. The rest are grown in Arizona and New Mexico.

Ok, but here’s the thing about pistachios – they need to be stored very carefully. Otherwise, they develop mold-related aflatoxins, which are toxic, carcinogenic, and deadly. And they can also explode.

You’re probably here to read about the exploding part, so let us set you at ease – this generally happens during shipping, so you don’t have to worry about losing an eye while having a healthy snack. You might have to worry, however, if you’re towing around a big heap of these things.

When pistachios are loaded up and transported, they need the right temperature and pressure at all times. Pistachios have a low water and high fat content. But when they’re kept in humid conditions, the water content can expand and can start a reaction in which fat-cleaving enzymes produce free fatty acids. You don’t need to understand the details of that, but what’s important is that those fatty acids get broken down when the nut takes in oxygen. The nut then spits out carbon dioxide, which creates heat. If you have a whole bunch of nuts stored, and they’re all giving out heat because it’s too humid, that heat will build up until…you guessed it – they all catch fire and explode.

So, yes, pistachios can spontaneously combust under the right circumstances. – WTF fun facts

Source: Do Pistachios Actually Combust? – Tasting Table