'''DEFINITION'''

The OMI_EXTREME_WAVE_MEDSEA_swh_mean_and_anomaly_obs indicator is based on the computation of the 99th and the 1st percentiles from in situ data (observations). It is computed for the variable significant wave height (swh) measured by in situ buoys. The use of percentiles instead of annual maximum and minimum values, makes this extremes study less affected by individual data measurement errors. The percentiles are temporally averaged, and the spatial evolution is displayed, jointly with the anomaly in the target year. This study of extreme variability was first applied to sea level variable (Pérez Gómez et al 2016) and then extended to other essential variables, sea surface temperature and significant wave height (Pérez Gómez et al 2018).

'''CONTEXT'''

Projections on Climate Change foresee a future with a greater frequency of extreme sea states (Stott, 2016; Mitchell, 2006). The damages caused by severe wave storms can be considerable not only in infrastructure and buildings but also in the natural habitat, crops and ecosystems affected by erosion and flooding aggravated by the extreme wave heights. In addition, wave storms strongly hamper the maritime activities, especially in harbours. These extreme phenomena drive complex hydrodynamic processes, whose understanding is paramount for proper infrastructure management, design and maintenance (Goda, 2010). In recent years, there have been several studies searching possible trends in wave conditions focusing on both mean and extreme values of significant wave height using a multi-source approach with model reanalysis information with high variability in the time coverage, satellite altimeter records covering the last 30 years and in situ buoy measured data since the 1980s decade but with sparse information and gaps in the time series (e.g. Dodet et al., 2020; Timmermans et al., 2020; Young & Ribal, 2019). These studies highlight a remarkable interannual, seasonal and spatial variability of wave conditions and suggest that the possible observed trends are not clearly associated with anthropogenic forcing (Hochet et al. 2021, 2023).

For the Mediterranean Sea an interesting publication (De Leo et al., 2024) analyses recent studies in this basin showing the variability in the different results and the difficulties to reach a consensus, especially in the mean wave conditions. The only significant conclusion is the positive trend in extreme values for the western Mediterranean Sea and in particular in the Gulf of Lion and in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

'''COPERNICUS MARINE SERVICE KEY FINDINGS'''

The mean 99th percentiles showed in the area present a range from 1.5-3.5 in the Gibraltar Strait and Alboran Sea with 0.25-0.55 of standard deviation (std), 2-5m in the East coast of the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands with 0.2-0.4m of std, 3-4m in the Aegean Sea with 0.4-0.6m of std to 3-5m in the Gulf of Lyon with 0.3-0.5m of std.

Results for this year show a positive anomaly in the Gibraltar Strait (+0.8m), and a negative anomaly in the Aegean Sea (-0.8m), the East Coast of the Iberian Peninsula (-0.7m) and in the Gulf of Lyon (-0.6), all of them slightly over the standard deviation in the respective areas.

'''DOI (product):'''

https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00263