Positive relationship between seasonal Indo-Pacific Ocean wave power and SST

Abstract The influence of increasing sea surface temperatures (SSTs), in response to greenhouse warming, on wave power (WP) remains uncertain. Here, seasonal relationships between SST anomalies and mean and extreme WP over the Indo-Pacific Ocean are examined. Overall, seasonal WP has significantly i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific Reports
Main Authors: Sukhwinder Kaur, Prashant Kumar, Evan Weller, Ian R. Young
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2021
Subjects:
Medicine
R
Science
Q
Southern Ocean
Pacific
Indian
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-97047-3
https://doaj.org/article/31879c4708e44f28b046724a5cc7bb33
Description
Summary:Abstract The influence of increasing sea surface temperatures (SSTs), in response to greenhouse warming, on wave power (WP) remains uncertain. Here, seasonal relationships between SST anomalies and mean and extreme WP over the Indo-Pacific Ocean are examined. Overall, seasonal WP has significantly increased over much of the Pacific, Indian, and Southern Ocean by 1.21–3.10 kW/m dec−1 over 1979–2019. Contributions from wave characteristics, namely significant wave height (SWH) and peak wave period (PWP), to changes in WP show that SWH contributes most in extra-tropical regions, and PWP most in tropical regions. Further, seasonal relationships between SST anomalies and WP indicate that increases in WP are also seen during strong El Niño years in December–February, and in-phase combinations of El Niño and positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events during June–August and September–November. Results highlight both long-term increasing SSTs and climate variability roles for inducing large-scale seasonal WP changes throughout the Indo-Pacific.

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