China is a marine-disaster-prone country, and the wave disaster, as an important part of various marine disasters, is the most important disaster form with casualties, and it also is an important natural disaster in the consideration of the marine safety and security in our country. The common definition and classification of disastrous waves are discussed, and the main research achievements with respect to the typical disastrous wave characteristics are reviewed. The progress in disastrous wave warning and forecasting are summarized, and the main problems as well as the future research directions for disastrous waves are proposed.

waves of disasters  /  disastrous waves  /  wave prediction  /  risk assessment