Long-Term and Seasonal Trends in Global Wave Height Extremes Derived from ERA-5 Reanalysis Data

Resumen

A non-stationary extreme value analysis of 41 years (1979?2019) of global ERA5 (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis) significant wave height data is undertaken to investigate trends in the values of 100-year significant wave height, Hs100" role="presentation" style="position: relative;">??100??Hs100 H s 100 . The analysis shows that there has been a statistically significant increase in the value of Hs100" role="presentation" style="position: relative;">??100??Hs100 H s 100 over large regions of the Southern Hemisphere. There have also been smaller decreases in Hs100" role="presentation" style="position: relative;">??100??Hs100 H s 100 in the Northern Hemisphere, although the related trends are generally not statistically significant. The increases in the Southern Hemisphere are a result of an increase in either the frequency or intensity of winter storms, particularly in the Southern Ocean.