Global Trends in Wind Speed and Wave Height

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 332; no. 6028; pp. 451 - 455
• Main Authors: Young, I. R., Zieger, S., Babanin, A. V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 22.04.2011; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Altimeters; Artificial satellites; Buoys; Calibration; Climate; Climate change; Datasets; Earth, ocean, space; Equatorial regions; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Geographic regions; Gravity waves; Meteorology; Ocean currents; Oceans; Physics of the oceans; Statistical significance; Surface waves, tides and sea level. Seiches; Trends; Wave power; Waves; Wind; Wind speed; Wind velocity; Winds and their effects; time series analysis; Buoy; Meteorological observation; trend-surface analysis; Space remote sensing; Wind velocity; Oceanographic survey; Satellite observation; Planetary scale; Observation data; Height; Sea surface wave; altimetry
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1197219

Studies of climate change typically consider measurements or predictions of temperature over extended periods of time. Climate, however, is much more than temperature. Over the oceans, changes in wind speed and the surface gravity waves generated by such winds play an important role. We used a 23-year database of calibrated and validated satellite altimeter measurements to investigate global changes in oceanic wind speed and wave height over this period. We find a general global trend of increasing values of wind speed and, to a lesser degree, wave height, over this period. The rate of increase is greater for extreme events as compared to the mean condition.