Wind-wave Climate Projections for the Indian Ocean from Satellite Observations

Abstract

The oceans play a key role in climate change and their impact has profound implications on the marine ecosystem and multitude activities around the globe. The effects due to climate change can have long-term repercussion. The latest report on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had identified the importance of wind-wave climate and its key role in global climate models. The present study investigates the impact of climate change on variability of maximum significant wave height and wind speeds over the Indian Ocean basin. The study is based on analysis from the daily observation of satellite altimeter measured wind and waves derived from eight satellite missions covering a period of 21 years from 1992 until 2012. The results signify that the Southern Ocean belt encompassing latitudinal belts between 40°S – 55°S experienced the highest variability due to impact from climate change. Both wind and wave activity has shown an increasing trend in the Southern Ocean, and this rise is more conspicuous in the current decade. The implications from increased wave activity in the Southern Ocean results in swell field that can influence the local wind-generated waves in the North Indian Ocean basin. The wind-wave activity in certain sectors of the tropical North Indian Ocean also increased from impact of climate change.