Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2014, January 8). Ocean's hidden waves show their power: Origins of giant underwater waves explained. ScienceDaily Citat: "...Seen in cross-section, these waves resemble surface waves in shape. The only difference between an underwater wave and the water around it is its density, due to temperature or salinity differences that cause ocean water to become stratified...These solitary waves have been observed to reach heights of 170 meters (more than 550 feet) and can travel at a leisurely pace of a few centimeters per second. "They are the lumbering giants of the ocean," Peacock says...These waves are potentially "the key mechanism for transferring heat from the upper ocean to the depths," Peacock says..."