Extreme value statistics of wind speed and wave height of the Marmara Sea based on combined radar altimeter data

Abstract

Both reliable and long-term wind and wave data are necessary for the design of coastal and offshore structures. Due to lack of sufficient in-situ measurement data, modeling data have been used in the limited number of wind and wave climate studies of the Marmara Sea. Satellites equipped with instruments capable of observing marine surface wind and ocean waves like Radar Altimeter can be another source for the long term wind and wave climate of the Marmara Sea. In this study, for the first time, the altimeter wind speed and the significant wave height data from different satellite missions are attempted to use in the climate and extreme value analysis of the Marmara Sea. Altimeter wind speeds and significant wave heights are compared with the in-situ measurements and it is found that while the altimeter wind speed agrees with the measurement data, the significant wave height data should be calibrated. After the calibration of the altimeter data and the inter-calibrations of earlier satellite missions, 27 years of altimeter wind speed and wave height data are obtained to use in extreme value analysis. The wind speed and the significant wave height values corresponding to various return periods are determined as a result of extreme value statistics and those values are compared with the results of the measurements and previous studies. Consistent extreme values computed in the current study indicate that the combined radar altimeter data can be used in the wind and the wave climate calculations and the extreme value analysis of the Marmara Sea. © 2019 COSPAR