A pioneering new approach to wave science could help improve early warnings for earthquakes, optimise renewable energies and advance medical diagnostics, researchers have said.

A team of international researchers led by Queen’s University Belfast has been collaborating on a study which it believes could improve outcomes across global healthcare, the environment, engineering and economics.

The scientists come from a variety of backgrounds but they all study waves – including ocean waves, waves that make up mobile phone networks, waves used in X-ray machines and ultrasounds or the seismic waves involved in earthquakes.

The scientists say that methodologies for wave analysis can be similar and they have an opportunity to learn from each other and accelerate major developments.

Wave Analysis Tools has been published in the journal Nature Reviews Methods Primers and is free to use by scientists anywhere in the world.

It was compiled by 26 scientists from 23 institutes across nine countries, including Stanford University, the European Space Agency (USA campus), the Italian Space Agency, the Niels Bohr Institute (Denmark) and the Max Planck Institute in Germany.

It provides an overview of a number of tools for wave analysis, assessing the suitability of differing methodologies for different areas of science.

The group has also established an open-access repository called WaLSA.tools to help researchers access the latest discoveries, forge new partnerships and promote greater integration and ethics.

Lead author Dr Shahin Jafarzadeh, from the Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen’s, said: “Properly analysing waves and oscillations is really important in multiple fields of scientific research.

“Wave signals can be incredibly complex and require much detailed analysis.

Unifying our approach across disciplines and nations should ensure more reliable and reproducible results

“Oversimplified or misapplied methods can lead to incomplete or misleading conclusions.

“This applies whether it’s observing magnetic waves in the sun’s atmosphere – which can influence space weather – or interpreting a graph of a patient’s blood-sugar levels.

“Using the right tools for the particular context is paramount.

“Unifying our approach across disciplines and nations should ensure more reliable and reproducible results.”

Waves move energy around and can be found everywhere in nature, from the vibration of an insect’s wings to extreme weather events and natural disasters.

Geophysicists examine these natural oscillations to predict earthquakes and tsunamis, facilitate weather forecasting and monitor climate change.

But waves are also at the forefront of technology, increasingly central to digital and physical infrastructure, astrophysics, energy, healthcare and economics.

Bringing together 26 scientists from across 23 worldwide institutes ensures that our work reflects the current state-of-the-art in wave analysis tools

Medical researchers will use wave analysis to interpret data from a patient, such as heart activity from an electrocardiogram, while astrophysicists use comparable tools to explore life on a much larger scale, such as space weather and its impact on human safety.

Engineers analyse vibrations in bridges, skyscrapers and aircraft to pinpoint weaknesses in structures while electronic experts study oscillations in circuits to optimise systems for communications, power generation and gadgets.

Economists also use sophisticated forms of wave analysis to forecast financial trends and advise governments and businesses while environmental scientists rely on detailed analyses of sea waves, light waves from the sun and wind patterns to develop effective renewable energies.

Professor David Jess, from Queen’s, said: “Bringing together 26 scientists from across 23 worldwide institutes ensures that our work reflects the current state-of-the-art in wave analysis tools.

“Queen’s leadership in this project will help initiate new international collaborations that will improve the global understanding of wave phenomena spanning the smallest to the largest scales.”