A Long-Term Assessment of the Black Sea Wave Climate

In the present work the Black Sea wave climate is assessed using a total of 38 years of data (1979–2016). As a first step, the long-term variations of the main wave parameters were evaluated using data provided by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Based on these values, the nearshore and offshore conditions from the Black Sea were evaluated. Moreover, the Sea of Azov was also targeted in this study, since in some cases the conditions are comparable with those of the Black Sea. Going up to the present day, the regional wave climate was assessed through satellite measurements provided by the AVISO project, at the same time indicating the differences between these data and the ECMWF reanalysis dataset. In general, the conditions reported in the northwestern sector of the Black Sea seem to be more energetic, indicating more frequently the presence of rough conditions. Finally, it can be concluded that the results presented in the present study cover a broad range of applications in climatological studies and other types of research related to coastal protection.