An extreme value model for maximum wave heights based on weather types

Extreme wave heights are climate-related events. Therefore, special attention should be given to the large-scale weather patterns responsible for wave generation in order to properly understand wave climate variability. We propose a classification of weather patterns to statistically downscale daily...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
Main Authors: Rueda Zamora, Ana Cristina, Camus Braña, Paula, Méndez Incera, Fernando Javier, Tomás Sampedro, Antonio, Luceño Vázquez, Alberto
Other Authors: Universidad de Cantabria
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: John Wiley & Sons 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10902/11059
https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JC010952
Description
Summary:Extreme wave heights are climate-related events. Therefore, special attention should be given to the large-scale weather patterns responsible for wave generation in order to properly understand wave climate variability. We propose a classification of weather patterns to statistically downscale daily significant wave height maxima to a local area of interest. The time-dependent statistical model obtained here is based on the convolution of the stationary extreme value model associated to each weather type. The interdaily dependence is treated by a climate-related extremal index. The model's ability to reproduce different time scales (daily, seasonal, and interannual) is presented by means of its application to three locations in the North Atlantic: Mayo (Ireland), La Palma Island, and Coruña (Spain).