Global trends in oceanic wind speed and wave height. This project will determine whether winds and waves over the world's oceans have changed over the past 30 years. Such information is critically important in understanding global climate change, evaporation, air-sea interaction and to safely design and operate coastal and offshore facilities.
Wave-Induced Upper-Ocean Mixing. The wave-induced mixing is of principal importance for air-sea interaction models since heat capacity of 2-3m of the ocean water is equal to the capacity of the entire atmosphere. This project will study and implement such mixing, including the newly described physical phenomenon of wave-induced turbulence, into a variety of models. As a result, wave models and global climate models will be coupled. It is believed that such coupling will enhance our ability to pr ....Wave-Induced Upper-Ocean Mixing. The wave-induced mixing is of principal importance for air-sea interaction models since heat capacity of 2-3m of the ocean water is equal to the capacity of the entire atmosphere. This project will study and implement such mixing, including the newly described physical phenomenon of wave-induced turbulence, into a variety of models. As a result, wave models and global climate models will be coupled. It is believed that such coupling will enhance our ability to predict the impact of global climate change. As part of the project, predictions of changes to the global wave climate will be developed. Such predictions are important to a nation such as Australia where significant population and economic assets are located close to the coast.Read moreRead less
A Global Satellite Altimeter Database for Ocean Engineering Applications. Australia is a maritime nation with major shipping activities, offshore facilities and a very significant percentage of its population living near the coast. As such, it is critical that engineers can accurately predict ocean wave conditions. This project will bring together more than 20 years of satellite observations of the ocean into a single database. This database will represent a major resource for the nation, signif ....A Global Satellite Altimeter Database for Ocean Engineering Applications. Australia is a maritime nation with major shipping activities, offshore facilities and a very significant percentage of its population living near the coast. As such, it is critical that engineers can accurately predict ocean wave conditions. This project will bring together more than 20 years of satellite observations of the ocean into a single database. This database will represent a major resource for the nation, significantly enhancing our understanding of ocean wave conditions. The research projects associated with the database will provide an understanding of the ocean wave climate, oceanic extremes, tropical cyclone conditions and nearshore ocean design parameters.Read moreRead less
The Spectral Evolution of Ocean Swell. This project aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the processes responsible for the evolution of ocean swell. It will generate new knowledge in the field by using a combination of newly available satellite data and buoys strategically located along two propagation paths across the Pacific. The expected outcomes will be a unique data set and significant advances in our ability to accurately predict ocean swell. Swell prediction remains one of the ....The Spectral Evolution of Ocean Swell. This project aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the processes responsible for the evolution of ocean swell. It will generate new knowledge in the field by using a combination of newly available satellite data and buoys strategically located along two propagation paths across the Pacific. The expected outcomes will be a unique data set and significant advances in our ability to accurately predict ocean swell. Swell prediction remains one of the major short-comings of ocean wave prediction models. As swell conditions dominate ocean wave climate for 75% of the time, accurate prediction is critical for coastal protection, understanding air-sea interaction and maintaining ship and port operations.Read moreRead less
Oceanic Conditions within Extreme Tropical Cyclones. Australia's tropical and subtropical areas include major infrastructure projects such as the North West shelf oil and gas projects, major mining operations, export ports, natural environments such as the Great Barrier Reef and major tourism industries. All these industries are crucially impacted by extreme tropical cyclones. Despite the importance of these systems, our present understanding of tropical cyclones is incomplete. This project will ....Oceanic Conditions within Extreme Tropical Cyclones. Australia's tropical and subtropical areas include major infrastructure projects such as the North West shelf oil and gas projects, major mining operations, export ports, natural environments such as the Great Barrier Reef and major tourism industries. All these industries are crucially impacted by extreme tropical cyclones. Despite the importance of these systems, our present understanding of tropical cyclones is incomplete. This project will significantly enhance our ability to carry out accurate engineering design of critical offshore infrastructure, as well as marine forecasts in such environments. As such, the project will have major scientific, economic and social benefits for Australia.Read moreRead less
Predicting environmental extremes in a period of climate change. This project has the potential to reduce the uncertainty in the predictions of extreme winds and waves used to design and operate coastal and offshore facilities. Predictions are typically achieved by extrapolating recorded data to predict probable extremes. The uncertainties associated with this approach are very large. This project aims to develop a new approach called ‘large ensemble aggregate’ analysis, which brings together da ....Predicting environmental extremes in a period of climate change. This project has the potential to reduce the uncertainty in the predictions of extreme winds and waves used to design and operate coastal and offshore facilities. Predictions are typically achieved by extrapolating recorded data to predict probable extremes. The uncertainties associated with this approach are very large. This project aims to develop a new approach called ‘large ensemble aggregate’ analysis, which brings together data from alternative model predictions or alternative measurement locations to expand the effective data and avoid the necessity for statistical extrapolation. This approach may significantly reduce the uncertainty in estimating extreme values. This would reduce the cost of constructing coastal and offshore facilities and decrease the risk of catastrophic failure.Read moreRead less