STORM WAVES IN CANADIAN WATERS - A MAJOR MARINE HAZARD

In this paper, an overview of storm waves associated with intense weat her systems affecting the east and west coasts of Canada is presented. The paper presents the wave climatology of the east and west coasts i n terms of the 100-year significant and maximum wave heights and furth er analyses the directional distribution of wave heights at selected l ocations in the Canadian east and west coasts offshore. The paper also analyses wave hazards associated with storm waves in the Beaufort Sea as well as the Canadian Great Lakes region. A section on ocean wave m odelling provides a brief history of the development of ocean surface wave models and its present status. The paper further considers the im pact of climate change scenarios on wave hazards and finally examines mitigation measures in terms of wave products available from operation al wave models and related wave climatology.