A Global View on the Wind Sea and Swell Climate and Variability from ERA-40

• In this paper a detailed global climatology of wind sea and swell parameters, based on the ERA-40 wave reanalysis, is presented. The spatial pattern of the swell dominance of the Earth’s Oceans, in terms of the wave field energy balance and wave field characteristics, is also investigated. Statistical analysis shows that the Global Ocean  is strongly dominated by swell waves. The inter-annual variability of the wind sea and swell significant wave heights, and how they are related to the resultant significant wave height, is analyzed over the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. The leading modes of variability of wind sea and swell demonstrate noticeable differences, particularly in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. During the Northern Hemisphere winter a strong north-south swell propagation pattern is observed in the Atlantic Ocean. Statistically significant secular increases in the wind sea and swell significant wave heights are found in the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Meteorologi och atmosfärforskning (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

swell

waves

MABL

climate

wind sea

reanalysis

ERA-40

Meteorology

Meteorologi

Meteorology

Meteorologi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

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