A Global Ocean Wave (GOW) calibrated reanalysis from 1948 onwards

Wind wave reanalyses have become a valuable source of information for wave climate research and ocean and coastal applications over the last decade. Nowadays, wave reanalyses databases generated with third generation models provide useful wave climate information to complement, both in time and space, the instrumental measurements (buoys and alimetry observations). In this work, a new global wave reanalysis (GOW) from 1948 onwards is presented. GOW dataset is intended to be periodically updated and it is based on a calibration of a model hindcast with satellite altimetry data, after verification against historical data. The outliers due to tropical cyclones (not simulated due to insufficient resolution in the wind forcing) are identified and not taken into account in the process to correct the simulated wave heights with the altimeter data. The results are validated with satellite measurements in time and space. This new calibrated database represents appropriately the wave climate characteristics since 1948 and aims to be the longest and up-to-date wave dataset for global wave climate variability analysis as well as for many coastal engineering applications.

► We present a global wave dataset (1948–2008), which may be periodically updated.
► The dataset is corrected using altimetry data.
► Tropical cyclones are identified and not considered in the correction.
► The results and the corrections are compared with buoy and satellite altimetry.
► The correction is remarkable for high wave heights and coastal regions.