GLOBAL OCEAN WAVE STATISTICS OBTAINED FROM SATELLITE-OBSERVATIONS

Data acquired by the GEOSAT radar altimeter is used to determine mean monthly significant wave height climatologies for the glove. In additi on, significant wave height values that could be expected to be exceed ed at different percentage levels (exceedence probability) are present ed. The satellite-derived climatology is shown to compare well with th e limited buoy data available. The climatology maps clearly show many synoptic features of the global wave climate. In particular, there is a marked difference in the wave climates of the two hemispheres, with the Southern Ocean having a consistently high sea state. In contrast, the North Atlantic Ocean has a much more variable sea state. Its extre me values are comparable with the Southern ocean, but it also has peri ods of relative calm. As expected, the peak wave conditions occur at h igh latitudes (+/-50 degrees) where a strong seasonal influence is evi dent, whereas the equatorial regions are calm with little seasonal var iation.