Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Extremes and Decadal Variations in the Baltic Sea Wave Conditions

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Extreme Ocean Waves

Abstract

Average and extreme wave conditions, their seasonal cycle and decadal variations, and extreme wave storms in Baltic Sea Proper and in the largest sub-basins of this sea are studied based on long-term time instrumentally measured time series of wave properties at Almagrundet and the Darss Sill, visual wave observations from several coastal sites of the eastern Baltic Sea, wave statistics from the northern Baltic Proper and Gulf of Finland, long-term reconstructions of the wave climate and numerical modelling of an extreme wave storm. The wave climate is highly intermittent and occasionally contains very strong wave storms. Significant wave heights \(H_S \ge 4\) m occur with a probability of about 1 % among all wave fields in the open Baltic Proper. Extreme wave conditions with \(H_S \ge 7\) m occur approximately twice in a decade. The overall recorded maximum \(H_S \) is 8.2 m. The estimated maximum of \(H_S \) was about 9.5 m in cyclone Gudrun in January 2005. No clear trend exists in the wave properties in the Baltic Sea. The 99 %-iles of the significant wave height exhibit a complicated spatial pattern of changes and have significantly decreased between the islands of Öland and Gotland and to the south of these islands.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The Almagrundet data set from 1993–2003 contains several contradicting extreme wave records. A severe storm in March 1997 that affected nearly the whole Baltic Proper caused \(H_{1/3} =7.83\) m. As \(H_S \) estimated from the wave spectrum was 5.7 m and the highest single wave reached 10.24 m, this value of \(H_{1/3} \) evidently overestimates the wave conditions. An extremely high single wave (12.79 m) was recorded on 25 December 1996 when \(H_{1/3} =6.37\) m but the significant wave height, estimated from the wave spectrum, was only 3.8 m. The listed values are apparently doubtful although they do represent quite severe wave fields (Broman et al. 2006), and the value of \(H_{1/3} \) in December 1996 is consistent with the data from the waverider in the northern Baltic Proper. More reliable are the data from 1978–1995. The wave height reached \(H_{1/3} =6.9\) m in a relatively short but violent storm in August 1989 and \(H_{1/3} =6.73\) m in another severe storm on 30 January 1988. The significant wave height on the open sea apparently exceeded 7 m during these events. No reliable data are available for a severe storm in January 1993.

References

  • Alari V (2013) Multi-scale wind wave modeling in the Baltic Sea. Ph.D thesis, Tallinn University of Technology

    Google Scholar 

  • Augustin J (2005) Das Seegangsklima der Ostsee zwischen 1958–2002 auf Grundlage numerischer Daten [Sea state climate of the Baltic Sea 1958–2002 based on numerical data]. Diploma Thesis. Institute for Coastal Research, GKSS Research Center Geesthacht, Germany (In German)

    Google Scholar 

  • Alenius P, Myrberg K, Nekrasov A (1998) Physical oceanography of the Gulf of Finland: a review. Boreal Environ Res 3:97–125

    Google Scholar 

  • Alexandersson H, Schmith T, Iden K, Tuomenvirta H (1998) Long-term variations of the storm climate over NW Europe. Glob Atmos Ocean Syst 6:97–120

    Google Scholar 

  • BACC Author Team (2008) Assessment of climate change for the Baltic Sea basin. Springer, Berlin, 473 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • BACC II Author Team (2015) Second assessment of climate change for the Baltic Sea basin. Springer, Cham, 501 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Bärring L, von Storch H (2004) Scandinavian storminess since about 1800. Geophys Res Lett 31:L20202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bengtsson A, Nilsson C (2007) Extreme value modelling of storm damage in Swedish forests. Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 7:515–521

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Birkemeier WA (1985) Field data on seaward limit of profile change. J Waterw Port Coast Ocean Eng-ASCE 111:598–602

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blomgren S, Larsson M, Hanson H (2001) Numerical modelling of the wave climate in the southern Baltic Sea. J Coast Res 17:342–352

    Google Scholar 

  • Broman B, Hammarklint T, Rannat K, Soomere T, Valdmann A (2006) Trends and extremes of wave fields in the north-eastern part of the Baltic Proper. Oceanologia 48:165–184

    Google Scholar 

  • Bumke K, Hasse L (1989) An analysis scheme for determination of true surface winds at sea from ship synoptic wind and pressure observations. Bound Lay Meteorol 47:295–308

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cieślikiewicz W, Paplińska-Swerpel B (2008) A 44-year hindcast of wind wave fields over the Baltic Sea. Coast Eng 55:894–905

    Google Scholar 

  • Danielsson A, Jönsson A, Rahm L (2007) Resuspension patterns in the Baltic proper. J Sea Res 57:257–269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davidan IN, Lopatoukhin LI, Rozhkov VA (1978) Windsea as a probabilistic hydrodynamic process. Gidrometeoizdat, Leningrad (In Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidan IN, Lopatoukhin LI, Rozhkov VA (1985) Wind waves in the world oceans. Gidrometeoizdat, Leningrad (In Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dean RG (1991) Equilibrium beach profiles: characteristics and applications. J Coast Res 7:53–84

    Google Scholar 

  • Druet C, Massel S, Zeidler R (1972) Statistical characteristics of wind waves in the Baltic coastal zone in the Gulf of Gdańsk and open Baltic Sea. Rozprawy Hydrotechniczne, Zeszyt 30, 49–84 (In Polish, cited after Schmager et al. 2008)

    Google Scholar 

  • DWD (Deutscher Wetterdienst), (2006) Seegangsklimatologie der Ostsee (1952 bis 2002). Deutscher Wetterdienst, Hamburg

    Google Scholar 

  • Eelsalu M, Org M, Soomere T (2014) Visually observed wave climate in the Gulf of Riga. In: 6th IEEE/OES Baltic Symposium “Measuring and modeling of multi-scale interactions in the marine environment,” 26–29 May 2014, Tallinn Estonia. IEEE Conference Publications

    Google Scholar 

  • Feistel R, Nausch G, Wasmund N (eds) (2008) State and evolution of the Baltic Sea 1952–2005. Wiley, Hoboken

    Google Scholar 

  • Gayer G, Günther H, Winkel N (1995) Wave climatology and extreme value analysis for the Baltic Sea area off the Warnemünde harbour entrance. Deutsche Hydrographische Zeitschrift 47:109–130

    Google Scholar 

  • Guedes Soares C (1986) Assessment of the uncertainty in visual observations of wave height. Ocean Eng 13:37–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gulev SK, Hasse L (1998) North Atlantic wind waves and wind stress fields from voluntary observing ship data. J Phys Oceanogr 28:1107–1130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gulev SK, Hasse L (1999) Changes of wind waves in the North Atlantic over the last 30 years. Int J Climatol 19:1091–1117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gulev SK, Grigorieva V, Sterl A, Woolf D (2003) Assessment of the reliability of wave observations from voluntary observing ships: insights from the validation of a global wind wave climatology based on voluntary observing ship data. J Geophys Res Oceans 108:3236

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hallermeier RJ (1981) A profile zonation for seasonal sand beaches from wave climate. Coast Eng 4:253–277

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holthuijsen LH (1983) Observations of the directional distribution of ocean wave energy in fetch limited conditions. J Phys Oceanogr 13:191–207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hogben N, Da Cunha NMC, Oliver GF (1986) Global wave statistics. Unwin Brothers, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Houston JR (1996) Simplified Dean’s method for beach-fill design. J Waterw Port C ASCE 122:143–146

    Google Scholar 

  • Hünicke B, Zorita E, Soomere T, Madsen KS, Johansson M, Suursaar Ü (2015) Recent change sea level and wind waves. In: The BACC II author team. Second assessment of climate change for the Baltic Sea basin. Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • IAHR working group on wave generation and analysis (1989) List of sea-state parameters. J Waterw Port Coast Ocean Eng 115:793–808

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaagus J (2009) Long-term changes in frequencies of wind directions on the western coast of Estonia. In: Kont A, Tõnisson H (eds) Climate change impact on Estonian coasts, Publication 11/2009. Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia, Institute of Ecology, pp 11–24 (In Estonian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaagus J, Kull A (2011) Changes in surface wind directions in Estonia during 1966–2008 and their relationships with large-scale atmospheric circulation. Est J Earth Sci 60:220–231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johansson M, Boman H, Kahma KK, Launiainen J (2001) Trends in sea level variability in the Baltic Sea. Boreal Environ Res 6:159–179

    Google Scholar 

  • Jönsson A, Broman B, Rahm L (2003) Variations in the Baltic Sea wave fields. Ocean Eng 30:107–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Jönsson A, Danielsson A, Rahm L (2005) Bottom type distribution based on wave friction velocity in the Baltic Sea. Cont Shelf Res 25:419–435

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahma K (1981) A study of the growth of the wave spectrum with fetch. J Phys Oceanogr 11:1503–1515

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahma K, Calkoen CJ (1992) Reconciling discrepancies in the observed growth of wind-generated waves. J Phys Oceanogr 22:1389–1405

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahma K, Pettersson H (1993) Wave statistics from the Gulf of Finland. Internal report 1/1993. Finnish Institute of Marine Research, Helsinki (In Finnish with English summary)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahma K, Pettersson H (1994) Wave growth in a narrow fetch geometry. Glob Atmos Ocean Syst 2:253–263

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahma K, Pettersson H, Tuomi L (2003) Scatter diagram wave statistics from the northern Baltic Sea. MERI—Rep Ser Finnish Inst Mar Res 49:15–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Keevallik S, Soomere T (2010) Towards quantifying variations in wind parameters across the Gulf of Finland. Est J Earth Sci 59:288–297

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kelpšaitė L, Parnell KE, Soomere T (2009) Energy pollution: the relative influence of wind-wave and vessel-wake energy in Tallinn Bay, the Baltic Sea. J Coast Res Spec Issue 56:812–816

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelpšaitė L, Dailidienė I, Soomere T (2011) Changes in wave dynamics at the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Proper during 1993–2008. Boreal Environ Res 16(Suppl A):220–232

    Google Scholar 

  • Komen GJ, Cavaleri L, Donelan M, Hasselmann K, Hasselmann S, Janssen PAEM (1994) Dynamics and modelling of ocean waves. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kraus NC (1992) Engineering approaches to cross-shore sediment processes. In: Lamberti A (ed) Proceedings short course on design and reliability of coastal structures attached to 23rd international conference on coastal engineering, Venice, pp 175–209

    Google Scholar 

  • Kriezi EE, Broman B (2008) Past and future wave climate in the Baltic Sea produced by the SWAN model with forcing from the regional climate model RCA of the Rossby Centre. In: IEEE/OES US/EU-Baltic international symposium, 27–29 May 2008, Tallinn, Estonia. IEEE, pp 360–366

    Google Scholar 

  • Kushnir Y, Cardone VJ, Greenwood JG, Cane MA (1997) The recent increase of North Atlantic wave heights. J Clim 10:2107–2113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leppäranta M, Myrberg K (2009) Physical oceanography of the Baltic Sea. Springer, Berlin, 378 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopatukhin LI, Bukhanovsky AV, Ivanov SV, Tshernyshova ES (2006a) Handbook of wind and wave regimes in the Baltic Sea, North Sea, Black Sea, Azov Sea and the Mediterranean. Russian Shipping Registry. Sankt-Petersburg, 450 pp (In Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopatukhin LI, Mironov ME, Pomeranets KS, Trapeznikov ES, Tshernysheva ES (2006b) Estimates of extreme wind and wave conditions in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. Proc VNIIG 245:145–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Mårtensson N, Bergdahl L (1987) On the wave climate of the southern Baltic. Report Series A:15. Department of Hydraulics, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg

    Google Scholar 

  • Martucci G, Carniel S, Chiggiato J, Sclavo M, Lionello P, Galati MB (2010) Statistical trend analysis and extreme distribution of significant wave height from 1958 to 1999–an application to the Italian seas. Ocean Sci 6:525–538

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Massel SR (2013) Ocean surface waves: their physics and prediction, 2nd edn. World Scientific, New Jersey 692 pp

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Mietus M (co-ordinator) (1998) The climate of the Baltic Sea Basin, Marine meteorology and related oceanographic activities. Report No. 41. World Meteorological Organisation, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Mietus M, von Storch H (1997) Reconstruction of the wave climate in the Proper Baltic Basin, April 1947-March 1988, GKSS Report 97/E/28, Geesthacht

    Google Scholar 

  • Myrberg K, Ryabchenko V, Isaev A, Vankevich R, Andrejev O, Bendtsen J, Erichsen A, Funkquist L, Inkala A, Neelov I, Rasmus K, Rodriguez Medina M, Raudsepp U, Passenko J, Söderkvist J, Sokolov A, Kuosa H, Anderson TR, Lehmann A, Skogen MD (2010) Validation of three-dimensional hydrodynamic models of the Gulf of Finland. Boreal Environ Res 15:453–479

    Google Scholar 

  • Nikolkina I, Soomere T, Räämet A (2014) Multidecadal ensemble hindcast of wave fields in the Baltic Sea. In: 6th IEEE/OES Baltic Symposium “Measuring and modeling of multi-scale interactions in the marine environment”, 26–29 May, Tallinn Estonia. IEEE Conference Publications

    Google Scholar 

  • Orlenko LR, Lopatukhin LI, Portnov GL (eds) (1984) Studies of the hydrometeorological regime of Tallinn Bay. Gidrometeoizdat, Leningrad (In Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Orviku K, Jaagus J, Kont A, Ratas U, Rivis R (2003) Increasing activity of coastal processes associated with climate change in Estonia. J Coast Res 19:364–375

    Google Scholar 

  • Paplińska B (1999) Wave analysis at Lubiatowo and in the Pomeranian Bay based on measurements from 1997/1998–comparison with modelled data (WAM4 model). Oceanologia 41:241–254

    Google Scholar 

  • Pettersson H (2001) Directional wave statistics from the Gulf of Finland 1990–1994. MERI—Rep Ser Finnish Inst Mar Res 44:1–37 (In Finnish with English summary)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pettersson H, Kahma KK, Tuomi L (2010) Predicting wave directions in a narrow bay. J Phys Oceanogr 40(1):155–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pettersson H, Boman H (2002) High waves and sea level during the November storm. Annual report 2001, Finnish Institute of Marine Research, Helsinki, p 7

    Google Scholar 

  • Pettersson H, Hammarklint T, Schräder D (2007) Wave climate in the Baltic sea 2006. HELCOM Baltic Sea Environment Fact Sheets 2012

    Google Scholar 

  • Pettersson H, Lindow H, Schräder D (2012) Wave climate in the Baltic Sea 2011. HELCOM Baltic sea Environment Fact Sheets 2012. http://helcom.fi/Documents/Baltic%20sea%20trends/Environment%20fact%20sheets/Wave%20climate%20in%20the%20Baltic%20Sea%202011.pdf

  • Pettersson H, Lindow H, Brüning T (2013) Wave climate in the Baltic Sea 2012. HELCOM Baltic sea Environment Fact Sheets 2012. http://helcom.fi/baltic-sea-trends/environment-fact-sheets/hydrography/wave-climate-in-the-baltic-sea/

  • Pindsoo K, Soomere T, Zujev M (2012) Decadal and long-term variations in the wave climate at the Latvian coast of the Baltic Proper. In: Proceedings of the IEEE/OES Baltic 2012 international symposium “Ocean: past, present and future. Climate change research, ocean observation & advanced technologies for regional sustainability,” 8–11 May 2012, Klaipėda, Lithuania. IEEE. doi:10.1109/BALTIC.2012.6249160

  • Pryor SC, Barthelmie RJ (2003) Long-term trends in near-surface flow over the Baltic. Int J Climatol 23:271–289

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pryor SC, Barthelmie RJ (2010) Climate change impacts on wind energy: a review. Renew Sust Energy Rev 14:430–437

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Räämet A, Soomere T (2010) The wave climate and its seasonal variability in the northeastern Baltic Sea. Est J Earth Sci 59:100–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Räämet A, Soomere T (2011) Spatial variations in the wave climate change in the Baltic Sea. J Coast Res Spec Issue 64:240–244

    Google Scholar 

  • Räämet A, Soomere T, Zaitseva-Pärnaste I (2010) Variations in extreme wave heights and wave directions in the north-eastern Baltic Sea. Proc Est Acad Sci 59:182–192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Räämet A, Suursaar Ü, Kullas T, Soomere T (2009) Reconsidering uncertainties of wave conditions in the coastal areas of the northern Baltic Sea. J Coast Res Spec Issue 56:257–261

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenhagen G, Tinz B (2013) New historical data of the southern Baltic Sea coasts. In: Reckermann M, Köppen S (eds), 7th study conference on BALTEX, 10–14 June 2013, Borgholm, Island of Öland, Sweden. International BALTEX Secretariat, Publication No. 53, 84

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenthal W (1986) Wind waves and swell. In: Sündermann J (ed) Oceanography, vol 3C, Landolt-Börnstein: Numerical data and functional relationships in science and technology–New series. Springer, Berlin, pp 17–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Russian Shipping Registry (1974) Wind and waves in oceans and seas. Part II. Data about wind and wave regime in (semi-enclosed) seas. Volume 1—The Baltic Sea (In Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Rzheplinsky GV, Brekhovskikh YuP (1967) Wave atlas for Gulf of Finland. Gidrometeoizdat, Leningrad (In Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Rzheplinsky GV (ed) (1965) Wave and wind atlas for the Baltic Sea. Tallinn (In Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryabchuk D, Kolesov A, Chubarenko B, Spiridonov M, Kurennoy D, Soomere T (2011) Coastal erosion processes in the eastern Gulf of Finland and their links with geological and hydrometeorological factors. Boreal Environ Res 16(Suppl A):117–137

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmager WG (1979) Atlas zur Ermittlung der Wellenhöhe in der südlichen Ostsee. Seehydrographischer Dienst der DDR. XIV, Rostock, 115 pp (In German)

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmager G, Fröhle P, Schrader D, Weisse R, Müller-Navarra S (2008) Sea state, tides. In: Feistel R, Nausch G, Wasmund N (eds) State and evolution of the Baltic sea 1952–2005. Wiley, Hoboken, pp 143–198

    Google Scholar 

  • Seifert T, Tauber F, Kayser B (2001) A high resolution spherical grid topography of the Baltic Sea, 2nd ed. Baltic Sea Science Congress, Stockholm 25–29 November 2001, Poster #147. www.io-warnemuende.de/iowtopo

  • Siewert M, Schlamkow C, Saathoff F (2015) Spatial analyses of 52 years of modelled sea state data for the Western Baltic Sea and their potential applicability for offshore and nearshore construction purposes. Ocean Eng 96:284–294

    Google Scholar 

  • Simpson RH, Riehl H (1981) The hurricane and its impact. Lousiana State University Press, Baton Rouge

    Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T (2001) Wave regimes and anomalies off north-western Saaremaa Island. Proc Est. Acad Sci Eng 7:157–173

    Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T (2003) Anisotropy of wind and wave regimes in the Baltic proper. J Sea Res 49:305–316

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T (2005) Wind wave statistics in Tallinn Bay. Boreal Environ Res 10:103–118

    Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T (2013) Extending the observed Baltic Sea wave climate back to the 1940s. J Coast Res Spec Issue 65:1969–1974

    Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T, Healy T (2008) Escalating extremes over descending trends of the northern Baltic Sea wave fields. In: Wallendorf L, Ewing L, Jones C, Jaffe B (eds) Solutions to coastal disasters 2008, pp 129–138. American Society of Civil Engineers

    Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T, Keevallik S (2001) Anisotropy of moderate and strong winds in the Baltic Proper. Proc Est Acad Sci Eng 7:35–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T, Keevallik S (2003) Directional and extreme wind properties in the Gulf of Finland. Proc Est Acad Sci Eng 9:73–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T, Kurkina O (2011) Statistics of extreme wave conditions in the south-western Baltic Sea. Fund Appl Hydrophys 4(4):43–57 (In Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T, Räämet A (2011a) Long-term spatial variations in the Baltic Sea wave fields. Ocean Sci 7:141–150

    Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T, Räämet A (2011b) Spatial patterns of the wave climate in the Baltic Proper and the Gulf of Finland. Oceanologia 53(1-TI), 335–371

    Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T, Räämet A (2014) Decadal changes in the Baltic Sea wave heights. J Mar Syst 129:86–95

    Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T, Zaitseva I (2007) Estimates of wave climate in the northern Baltic Proper derived from visual wave observations at Vilsandi. Proc Est Acad Sci Eng 13:48–64

    Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T, Behrens A, Tuomi L, Nielsen JW (2008) Wave conditions in the Baltic Proper and in the Gulf of Finland during windstorm Erwin/Gudrun. Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 8:37–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T, Zaitseva-Pärnaste I, Räämet A, Kurennoy D (2010) Spatio-temporal variations of wave fields in the Gulf of Finland. Fund Appl Hydrophys 4(10):90–101 (In Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T, Zaitseva-Pärnaste I, Räämet A (2011) Variations in wave conditions in Estonian coastal waters from weekly to decadal scales. Boreal Environ Res 16(Suppl A):175–190

    Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T, Weisse R, Behrens A (2012) Wave climatology in the Arkona Basin, the Baltic Sea. Ocean Sci 8:287–300

    Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T, Viška M, Eelsalu M (2013) Spatial variations of wave loads and closure depths along the coast of the eastern Baltic Sea. Est J Eng 19:93–109

    Google Scholar 

  • Soomere T, Bishop SR, Viška M, Räämet A (2015) An abrupt change in winds that may radically affect the coasts and deep sections of the Baltic Sea. Clim Res 62:163–171

    Google Scholar 

  • Sparre A (1982) The climate of Denmark. Summaries of observations from light vessels II: waves and currents at the surface. Danish Meteorological Institute Climatological Papers 9

    Google Scholar 

  • Sterl A, Caires S (2005) Climatology, variability and extrema of ocean waves—the web-based KNMI/ERA-40 wave atlas. Int J Climatol 25:963–977

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suursaar Ü (2010) Waves, currents and sea level variations along the Letipea–Sillamäe coastal section of the southern Gulf of Finland. Oceanologia 52:391–416

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suursaar Ü (2013) Locally calibrated wave hindcasts in the Estonian coastal sea in 1966–2011. Estonian J Earth Sci 62:42–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suursaar Ü, Kullas T (2009a) Decadal variations in wave heights off Cape Kelba, Saaremaa Island, and their relationships with changes in wind climate. Oceanologia 51:39–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suursaar Ü, Kullas T (2009b) Decadal changes in wave climate and sea level regime: the main causes of the recent intensification of coastal geomorphic processes along the coasts of Western Estonia? In: Coastal processes. WIT Trans Ecol Environ 126:105–116

    Google Scholar 

  • Suursaar Ü, Kullas K, Otsmann M, Saaremäe I, Kuik J, Merilain M (2006) Cyclone Gudrun in January 2005 and modelling its hydrodynamic consequences in the Estonian coastal waters. Boreal Environ Res 11:143–159

    Google Scholar 

  • Tuomi L, Pettersson H, Kahma K (1999) Preliminary results from the WAM wave model forced by the mesoscale EUR-HIRLAM atmospheric model. MERI—Rep Ser Finnish Inst Mar Res 40:19–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Tuomi L, Kahma KK, Pettersson H (2011) Wave hindcast statistics in the seasonally ice-covered Baltic Sea. Boreal Environ Res 16:451–472

    Google Scholar 

  • Tuomi L, Pettersson H, Fortelius C, Tikka K, Björkqvist J-V, Kahma KK (2014) Wave modelling in archipelagos. Coast Eng 83:205–220

    Google Scholar 

  • Vikebo F, Furevik T, Furnes G, Kvamsto NG, Reistad M (2003) Wave height variations in the North Sea and on the Norwegian Continental Shelf 1881–1999. Cont Shelf Res 23:251–263

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viška M, Soomere T (2012) Hindcast of sediment flow along the Curonian spit under different wave climates. In: Proceedings of the IEEE/OES Baltic 2012 international symposium “Ocean: past, present and future. climate change research, ocean observation & advanced technologies for regional sustainability,” 8–11 May, Klaipėda, Lithuania. IEEE Conference Publications. doi:10.1109/BALTIC.2012.6249195

  • Zaitseva-Pärnaste I (2013) Wave climate and its decadal changes in the Baltic Sea derived from visual observations. Ph.D thesis, Tallinn University of Technology

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaitseva-Pärnaste I, Suursaar Ü, Kullas T, Lapimaa S, Soomere T (2009) Seasonal and long-term variations of wave conditions in the northern Baltic Sea. J Coast Res Spec Issue 56:277–281

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaitseva-Pärnaste I, Soomere T, Tribštok O (2011) Spatial variations in the wave climate change in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. J Coast Res Spec Issue 64:195–199

    Google Scholar 

  • Wahl G (1974) Wave statistics from Swedish coastal waters. Proceedings of the international symposium on dynamics of marine vehicles and structures in waves. Institute of Mechanical Engineering, London, pp 33–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Weisse R, Günther H (2007) Wave climate and long-term changes for the Southern North Sea obtained from a high-resolution hindcast 1958–2002. Ocean Dyn 57: 161–172

    Google Scholar 

  • Weisse R, von Storch H (2010) Marine climate and climate change. Storms, wind waves and storm surges, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 220 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • WASA Group (1995) The WASA project: changing storm and wave climate in the northeast Atlantic and adjacent seas? In: Proceedings of the fourth international workshop on wave hindcasting and forecasting, Banff, Canada, 16–20 October, pp 31–44. Also: GKSS Report 96/E/61

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The underlying research was supported by institutional financing IUT33-3 of the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research, grant 9125 by the Estonian Science Foundation and through support of the ERDF to the Centre of Excellence in Non-linear Studies CENS.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Cybernetics at Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia

    Tarmo Soomere

Authors
  1. Tarmo Soomere
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tarmo Soomere .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Applied Physics and Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

    Efim Pelinovsky

  2. Institut de Recherche sur les Phénomènes Hors Equilibre (IRPHE), Marseille, France

    Christian Kharif

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Soomere, T. (2016). Extremes and Decadal Variations in the Baltic Sea Wave Conditions. In: Pelinovsky, E., Kharif, C. (eds) Extreme Ocean Waves. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21575-4_7

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation