Influence of Climate Variability on Extreme Ocean Surface Wave Heights Assessed from ERA-Interim and ERA-20C

AbstractExtreme ocean surface wave heights significantly affect coastal structures and offshore activities and impact many vulnerable populations of low-lying islands. Therefore, better understanding of ocean wave height variability plays an important role in potentially reducing risk in such regions. In this study, global impacts of natural climate variability such as El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) on extreme significant wave height (SWH) are analyzed using ERA-Interim (1980–2014) and ECMWF twentieth-century reanalysis (ERA-20C; 1952–2010) datasets for December–February (DJF). The nonstationary generalized extreme value (GEV) analysis is used to determine the influence of natural climate variability on DJF maxima of SWH (Hmax), wind speed (Wmax), and mean sea level pressure gradient amplitude (Gmax). The major ENSO influence on Hmax is found over the northeastern North Pacific (NP), with increases during El Nino and decreases d...