The Wave Climate Around Australia During Past 42 Years (1979–2020)

Abstract We examined the wave climate around Australia using wave data from satellite altimeters, in situ wave buoys, and high‐resolution wave hindcast with an emphasis on swells. Higher waves are observed in the higher latitude regions during the winter in Southern Hemisphere. The swells dominate in the western and southern regions with probability greater than 90%. Longer waves are observed in the western and southern regions with peak wave periods 12 s and, in some regions, even 14 s. These long waves are associated with swells originating in the Southern Ocean. Western regions reveal higher wave climate than the eastern regions. A strong sheltering effect is observed in the , the wave heights in the eastern regions are significantly lower than western regions. The mean direction of swells is identified to be consistently from the southwest. The interannual variability of wave height due to swells is much smaller than that due to wind seas. The annual mean of reveals a higher positive trend in the southern region. Our results indicate the highest spatial trend in in the southern region. The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) exhibits a strong spatial correlation with the south of 40S during March‐April‐May and June‐July‐August. The correlation between SAM and varies largely with latitude. Impact of SAM on reveals remarkable zonal and meridional variations. Wave climate of swells plays a key role in many coastal and offshore applications and operations, therefore, its changes need to be monitored.