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Wave height characteristics in the north Atlantic ocean: a new approach based on statistical and geometrical techniques

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Abstract

The main characteristics of the significant wave height in an area of increased interest, the north Atlantic ocean, are studied based on satellite records and corresponding simulations obtained from the numerical wave prediction model WAM. The two data sets are analyzed by means of a variety of statistical measures mainly focusing on the distributions that they form. Moreover, new techniques for the estimation and minimization of the discrepancies between the observed and modeled values are proposed based on ideas and methodologies from a relatively new branch of mathematics, information geometry. The results obtained prove that the modeled values overestimate the corresponding observations through the whole study period. On the other hand, 2-parameter Weibull distributions fit well the data in the study. However, one cannot use the same probability density function for describing the whole study area since the corresponding scale and shape parameters deviate significantly for points belonging to different regions. This variation should be taken into account in optimization or assimilation procedures, which is possible by means of information geometry techniques.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially supported by the MARINA project (7th Framework Programme, Grant agreement number: 241402, http://www.marina-platform.info/), and the E-wave project (funded by the Research Promotion Foundation of Cyprus, http://www.oceanography.ucy.ac.cy/ewave/). The anonymous reviewers are also acknowledged for their constructive suggestions that essentially contributed to the final form of this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Mathematics, Hellenic Naval Academy, Xatzikyriakion, 18539, Piraeus, Greece

    George Galanis

  2. Division of Environmental Physics-Meteorology, Atmospheric Modeling and Weather Forecasting Group, University of Athens, School of Physics, University Campus, Bldg. PHYS-V, 15784, Athens, Greece

    George Galanis & George Kallos

  3. Department of Oceanography, Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Science, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, 93943, USA

    Peter C. Chu & Yu-Heng Kuo

  4. School of Mathematics, Manchester University, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK

    C. T. J. Dodson

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  1. George Galanis
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  2. Peter C. Chu
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  3. George Kallos
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  4. Yu-Heng Kuo
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  5. C. T. J. Dodson
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Correspondence to George Galanis.

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Galanis, G., Chu, P.C., Kallos, G. et al. Wave height characteristics in the north Atlantic ocean: a new approach based on statistical and geometrical techniques. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 26, 83–103 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-011-0540-2

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