44-year wave hindcast for the Eastern Mediterranean

Within the EU-funded project HIPOCAS (Hindcast of Dynamic Processes of the Ocean and Coastal Area of Europe), high-resolution wave hindcasts were performed for the period 1958–2001 over the Eastern Mediterranean. The state-of-the-art WAM model was used for producing the 44-year wave data set. The wave model was driven by wind data generated from the regional atmospheric model REMO. The WAM model outputs of significant wave height were validated against in-situ measurements and satellite data. The model results show a good agreement with observations. The homogeneous wave data set produced by the model was then used for a study of long-term variability and climatic trends in the region.