학술논문

Improved estimates of extreme wave conditions in coastal areas from calibrated global reanalyses
Document Type
article
Source
Communications Earth & Environment, Vol 4, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2023)
Subject
Geology
QE1-996.5
Environmental sciences
GE1-350
Language
English
ISSN
2662-4435
Abstract
Abstract The analysis of extreme wave conditions is crucial for understanding and mitigating coastal hazards. As global wave reanalyses allow to extend the evaluation of wave conditions to periods and locations not covered by in-situ measurements, their direct use is common. However, in coastal areas, the accuracy of global reanalyses is lower, particularly for extreme waves. Here we compare two leading global wave reanalyses against 326 coastal buoys, demonstrating that both reanalyses consistently underestimate significant wave height, 50-year return period and mean wave period in most coastal locations around the world. Different calibration methods applied to improve the modelled extreme waves, resulting in a 53% reduction in the underestimation of extreme wave heights. Importantly, the 50-year return period for significant wave height is improved on average by 55%. Extreme wave statistics determined for coastal areas directly from global wave reanalyses require careful consideration, with calibration largely reducing uncertainty and improving confidence.