Output of Harper Simmons global model of semi-diurnal baroclinic tidal generation and propagation. The beam heading from the Maquarie Ridge toward Tasmania motivates the study

Graphic showing the path of the East Australia Current its associated eddies. Citation: Ridgway, K. & Hill, K. (2012). Retrieved from www.oceanclimatechange.org.au [02-02-15]

Anyone who has surfed knows the sheer power of waves, some of which can reach tens of metres high. They seem large and formidable enough. But imagine waves many times bigger than these – some reaching a kilometre or more in height and perhaps hundreds of kilometres in length. Such monsters are not the stuff of science fiction but can be found lurking, far from view, way beneath the ocean surface. Though unseen, undersea waves play a vital role in the transport and distribution of marine sediments and nutrients. They also affect global warming and climate change – and have the wherewithal to overturn…