TDS-1 payloads include instruments to track ships and monitor the sea surface for freak waves, and even a self-destruct "sail" that will pull the spacecraft out of the sky at the end of its mission.

BBC: Plan to 'Catapult' UK space tech

In the sun, the surface of the sea flashes with white-capped waves.

BBC: Sailing in Croatia

Deep water: area where surface waves are not influenced by the sea-bottom.

UNESCO: L O S S A R Y

If there is any oil suspended underwater, such high waves would bring it to the surface - but it is likely then to be diluted, she says.

BBC: What will a hurricane do to the oil spill?

What is needed are specific detectors that take advantage of the fact that tsunamis are felt throughout the ocean's depths, unlike wind-generated waves, which affect only its surface.

ECONOMIST: New ways of tracking these killer waves may help save lives