Abstract. This paper presents a set of ocean wave time series data recorded from a discus buoy deployed near northeast Taiwan in western Pacific that was operating during the passage of Typhoon Krosa on 6 October 2007. The maximum trough-to-crest wave height was measured to be 32.3 m, which could be the largest H max ever recorded.

Abstract. Very short time series (with lengths of approximately 40 s or 5∼7 wave periods) of wind velocity fluctuations and wave elevation were recorded simultaneously and investigated using the wavelet bispectral analysis. Rapid changes in the wave and wind spectra were detected, which were found to be intimately related to significant energy transfers through transient quadratic wind-wave and wavewave interactions. A possible pattern of energy exchange between the wind and wave fields was further deduced. In particular, the generation and variation of the strong waveinduced perturbation velocity in the wind can be explained by the strengthening and diminishing of the associated quadratic interactions, which cannot be unveiled by linear theories. On small time scales, the wave-wave quadratic interactions were as active and effective in transferring energy as the windwave interactions. The results also showed that the wind turbulence was occasionally effective in transferring energy between the wind and the wave fields, so that the background turbulence in the wind cannot be completely neglected. Although these effects are all possibly significant over short times, the time-localized growth of the wave spectrum may not considerably affect the long-term process of wave development.

Abstract. This paper presents a subjective search for North Sea Draupner-like freaque waves from wave measurement data available in the northeastern coastal waters of Taiwan during Typhoon Krosa, October 2007. Not knowing what to expect, we found rather astonishingly that there were more Draupner-like freaque wave types during the build-up of the storm than we ever anticipated. As the conventional approach of defining freaque waves as H max /H s > 2 is ineffective to discern all the conspicuous cases we found, we also tentatively proposed two new indices based on different empirical wave grouping approaches which hopefully can be used for further development of effective indexing toward identifying freaque waves objectively.

Abstract.We made an objective examination of our present state of knowledge on freaque waves in the ocean and lakes from three separate perspectives:-testimonial -from eyewitness account of actual encounters;-empirical -from available in-situ wave measurements;-conjectural -from academic theoretical formulations;and led to a subjective answer to the posted title question of this paper: we do not know very much about freaque waves in the ocean and lakes! There are really no interconnections among the three perspectives we examined. Put them together however, persuades us to think that freaque waves are really an integral part of the ocean and lakes, they happen not infrequently but we still basically do not know when, where, how, what, and why they will happen. We do not even have as yet a viable definition on the phenomenon. So in order to expect tangible progress in our knowledge to the understanding of freaque waves in the ocean and lakes, we propose to strengthen a key ingredient by further invigorate the empirical aspect of the perspective, specifically making more in-situ spatial wave measurement for freaque wave studies, which is practically non-existence at the present.

Abstract.Following Ge and Liu (2007), the simultaneously recorded time series of wave elevation and wind velocity are examined for long-term (on Lavrenov's τ 4 -scale or 3 to 6 h) linear and nonlinear interactions between the wind fluctuations and the wave field. Over such long times the detected interaction patterns should reveal general characteristics for the wave growth process. The time series are divided into three episodes, each approximately 1.33 h long, to represent three sequential stages of wave growth. The classic Fourierdomain spectral and bispectral analyses are used to identify the linear and quadratic interactions between the waves and the wind fluctuations as well as between different components of the wave field.The results show clearly that as the wave field grows the linear interaction becomes enhanced and covers wider range of frequencies. Two different wave-induced components of the wind fluctuations are identified. These components, one at around 0.4 Hz and the other at around 0.15 to 0.2 Hz, are generated and supported by both linear and quadratic windwave interactions probably through the distortions of the waves to the wind field. The fact that the higher-frequency wave-induced component always stays with the equilibrium range of the wave spectrum around 0.4 Hz and the lowerfrequency one tends to move with the downshifting of the primary peak of the wave spectrum defines the partition of the primary peak and the equilibrium range of the wave spectrum, a characteristic that could not be revealed by short-time wavelet-based analyses in Ge and Liu (2007). Furthermore, these two wave-induced peaks of the wind spectrum appear to have different patterns of feedback to the wave field. The quadratic wave-wave interactions also are assessed using the auto-bispectrum and are found to be especially active during the first and the third episodes. Such directly detected wind-wave interactions, both linear and nonlinear, may comCorrespondence to: Z. Ge (ge.zhongfu@epa.gov) plement the existing theoretical and numerical models, and can be used for future model development and validation.