Variability and trends in the Australian wave climate and consequent coastal vulnerability
Final Report for Department of Climate Change Surface Ocean Wave Variability Project:
This report aims to describe the interannual variability and trends of the surface ocean waves in the Australian region, using available datasets, and outline the principle drivers of the variability.
The report is presented in 5 sections. This introduction is followed by a presentation of the variability and trends in the mean wave climate (Chapter 2); the variability and trends of the extreme wave climate (Chapter 3); a description of the methods used to describe variability of the nearshore wave climate (Chapter 4); preliminary results towards enabling an understanding of the relative contributions of storm surge and waves to extreme sea level heights (Chapter 5); and Chapter 6 contains a summary of the report.
In conclusion, the report states that while this project has made considerable progress in understanding variability of the Australian surface ocean wave climate in the context of broader climate variability, impacts of a changing wave climate on the coastal zone remain poorly understood. It presents key recommendations for further research.