Wave Climate of the Barents Sea Based on Satellite Altimetry Data

The paper is devoted to the study of the Barents Sea wave climate, which was built on the basis of satellite altimetry data provided by ERS-1/2, GFO-1, Envisat, Cryosat-2, SARAL, Sentinel-3a/3b. A special statistical procedure has been applied to obtain a single dataset of Significant Wave Height (SWH) variability relative to ERS-1 satellite altimetry measurements for 1991–2021. This is the first time such a wind wave database has been created for the Barents Sea. For this time period a monthly mean SWH interannual trend was equal to +0.10 ± 0.06 m/decade. Seasonal variability of SWH interannual trends varies from +0.05 m/decade in March to +0.15 m/decade in September. Values of SWH trends over +0.12 m/decade are observed from July to November which is explained by steady interannual reduction of ice cover in the Barents Sea and by a significant increase in storm activity in the region. The obtained results show that, on the one hand, significant reduction in ice cover in the Barents Sea allows ice-free navigation for a longer time during a year, especially in Autumn, but on the other hand it increases wind fetch, which along with a significant increase in storm activity in the Barents Sea will lead to an increase of wind wave height in the Barents Sea. This will represent potential difficulties (and even danger) to navigation of ships designed for navigation in ice conditions and not intended for navigation in open waters of the world's oceans where large waves may be observed (e.g., icebreakers, barges, and other vessels).