• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.631-644
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• 2013

Significant Wave Height (SWH) data measured by satellite altimeters (Topex/Poseidon, Jason-1, Envisat, and Jason-2) were validated in the seas around Korea by comparison with wave height measurements from marine meteorological buoy stations of Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). A total of 1,070 collocation matchups between Ku-band satellite altimeter data and buoy data were obtained for the periods of the four satellites from 1992 to the present. In the case of C-band and S-band observations, 1,086 matchups were obtained and used to assess the accuracy of satellite SWH. Root-Mean-Square (RMS) errors of satellite SWH measured with Ku-band were evaluated to roughly 0.2_2.1 m. Comparisons of the RMS errors and bias errors between different frequency bands revealed that SWH observed with Ku-band was much more accurate than other frequencies, such as C-band or S-band. The differences between satellite SWH and buoy wave height, satellite minus buoy, revealed some dependence on the magnitude of the wave height. Satellite SWH tended to be overestimated at a range of low wave height of less than 1 m, and underestimated for high wave height of greater than 2 m. Such regional characteristics imply that satellite SWH should be carefully used when employed for diverse purposes such as validating wave model results or data assimilation procedures. Thus, this study confirmed that satellite SWH products should be continuously validated for regional applications.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.337-340
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• 2002

Monitoring of wave height is important primarily to reduce storm risks at sea and along the coast. Wave heights in recent years have increased 50% for the last 40 years, thus requiring intensive monitoring. Satellite altimetry offers a powerful tool for regular and extensive monitoring of the wave height. We extracted significant wave height (SWH) using several altimeter missions from 1987-1995 over the Northwest Pacific and compared with ECMWF reanalysis (ERA) products. For large wave heights > 2.5 m, the ERA wave heights are smaller than the altimetric ones, while for small wave heights the ERA wave heights are larger. Comparison in SWH between altimetric derivations and ERA model products shows the discrepancy of 0.46-0.21$\times$SWH(m).

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2003

We extracted significant wave height (SWH) using several altimeter missions from 1987-1995 over the Northwest Pacific ocean and compared with ECMWF (European Center for Medium- Range Forecast) reanalysis (ERA) products. For large wave heights the ERA wave heights are smaller than the altimetric ones, while for small wave heights the ERA wave heights are larger Comparison in SWH between altimetric derivations and ERA model products shows the discrepancy of 0.46-0.21$\times$SWH (m). Methods for propagating this differences into ERA wind error are presented.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.168-177
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• 2020

Many coastal engineering designs utilize empirical formulas containing the Equivalent Deep-water Wave Height (EDWH), which is normally given a priori. However, no studies have explicitly discussed a method for determining the EDWH and the resulting design wave heights (DEWH) under irregular wave conditions. Unfortunately, it has been the case in many design practices that the EDWH is incorrectly estimated by dividing the Shallow-water Wave Height (SWH) at the structural position with its corresponding shoaling coefficient of regular wave. The present study reexamines the relationship between the Shallow-water Wave Height (SWH) at the structural position and its corresponding EDWH. Then, a new procedure is proposed to facilitate the correct estimation of EDWH. In this procedure, the EDWH and DEWH are determined differently according to the wave propagation model used to estimate the SWH. For this, Goda's original method for nonlinear irregular wave deformation is extended to produce values for linear shoaling. Finally, exemplary calculations are performed to assess the possible errors caused by a misuse of the wave height calculation procedure. The relative errors with respect to the correct values could exceed 20%, potentially leading to a significant under-design of coastal or harbor structures in some cases.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2023

Oceanic wind waves have been recognized as one of the important indicators of global warming and climate change. It is necessary to study the spatial and temporal variability of significant wave height (SWH) and wave direction in the Yellow Sea and a part of the East China Sea, which is directly affected by the East Asian monsoon and climate change. In this study, the spatial and temporal variability including seasonal and interannual variability of SWH and wave direction in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea were analyzed using European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Reanalysis 5 (ERA5) data. Prior to analyzing the variability of SWH and wave direction using the model reanalysis, the accuracy was verified through comparison with SWH and wave direction measurements from Ieodo Ocean Science Station (I-ORS). The mean SWH ranged from 0.3 to 1.6 m, and was higher in the south than in the north and higher in the center of the Yellow Sea than in the coast. The standard deviation of the SWH also showed a pattern similar to the mean. In the Yellow Sea, SWH and wave direction showed clear seasonal variability. SWH was generally highest in winter and lowest in late spring or early summer. Due to the influence of the monsoon, the wave direction propagated mainly to the south in winter and to the north in summer. The seasonal variability of SWH showed predominant interannual variability with strong variability of annual amplitudes due to the influence of typhoons in summer.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.409-431
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• 2014

In this study, the characteristics in the simulation of high-resolution coastal weather, i.e. sea surface wind (SSW) and significant wave height (SWH), were studied in a southeastern coastal region of Korea using the WRF and SWAN models. This analyses was performed based on the effects of various input factors in the WRF and SWAN model during M-Case (moderate days with average 1.8 m SWH and $8.4ms^{-1}$ SSW) and R-Case (rough days with average 3.4 m SWH and $13.0ms^{-1}$ SSW) according to the strength of SSW and SWH. The effects of topography (TP), land cover (LC), and sea surface temperature (SST) for the simulation of SSW with the WRF model were somewhat high on v-component winds along the coastline and the adjacent sea of a more detailed grid simulation (333 m) during R-Case. The LC effect was apparent in all grid simulations during both cases regardless of the strength of SSW, whereas the TP effect had shown a difference (decrease or increase) of wind speed according to the strength of SSW (M-Case or R-Case). In addition, the effects of monthly mean currents (CR) and deepwater design waves (DW) for the simulation of SWH with the SWAN model predicted good agreement with observed SWH during R-Case compared to the M-Case. For example, the effects of CR and DW contributed to the increase of SWH during R-Case regardless of grid resolution, whereas the differences (decrease or increase) of SWH occurred according to each effect (CR or DW) during M-Case.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 2018

In order to compare significant wave height (SWH) data from multi-satellites (GFO, Jason-1, Envisat, Jason-2, Cryosat-2, SARAL) and SWH measurements from Ieodo Ocean Research Station (IORS), we constructed a 12 year matchup database between satellite and IORS measurements from December 2004 to May 2016. The satellite SWH showed a root mean square error (RMSE) of about 0.34 m and a positive bias of 0.17 m with respect to the IORS wave height. The satellite data and IORS wave height data did not show any specific seasonal variations or interannual variability, which confirmed the consistency of satellite data. The effect of the wind field on the difference of the SWH data between satellite and IORS was investigated. As a result, a similar result was observed in which a positive biases of about 0.17 m occurred on all satellites. In order to understand the effects of topography and the influence of the construction structures of IORS on the SWH differences, we investigated the directional dependency of differences of wave height, however, no statistically significant characteristics of the differences were revealed. As a result of analyzing the characteristics of the error as a function of the distance between the satellite and the IORS, the biases are almost constant about 0.14 m regardless of the distance. By contrast, the amplitude of the SWH differences, the maximum value minus the minimum value at a given distance range, was found to increase linearly as the distance was increased. On the other hand, as a result of the accuracy evaluation of the satellite SWH from the Donghae marine meteorological buoy of Korea Meteorological Administration, the satellite SWH presented a relatively small RMSE of about 0.27 m and no specific characteristics of bias such as the validation results at IORS. In this paper, we propose a conversion formula to correct the significant wave data of IORS with the satellite SWH data. In addition, this study emphasizes that the reliability of data should be prioritized to be extensively utilized and presents specific methods and strategies in order to upgrade the IORS as an international world-wide marine observation site.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.135-147
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• 2023

Satellite-observed significant wave heights (SWHs), which are widely used to understand the response of the ocean to climate change, require long-term and continuous validation. This study examines the accuracy and error characteristics of SWH observed by nine satellite altimeters in the North Pacific and North Atlantic Ocean for 25 years (1992-2016). A total of 137,929 matchups were generated to compare altimeter-observed SWH and in-situ measurements. The altimeter SWH showed a bias of 0.03 m and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.27 m, indicating relatively high accuracy in the North Pacific and North Atlantic Ocean. However, the spatial distribution of altimeter SWH errors showed notable differences. To better understand the error characteristics of altimeter-observed SWH, errors were analyzed with respect to in-situ SWH, time, latitude, and distance from the coast. Overestimation of SWH was observed in most satellite altimeters when in-situ SWH was low, while underestimation was observed when in-situ SWH was high. The errors of altimeter-observed SWH varied seasonally, with an increase during winter and a decrease during summer, and the variability of errors increased at higher latitudes. The RMSEs showed high accuracy of less than 0.3 m in the open ocean more than 100 km from the coast, while errors significantly increased to more than 0.5 m in coastal regions less than 15 km. These findings underscore the need for caution when analyzing the spatio-temporal variability of SWH in the global and regional oceans using satellite altimeter data.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.267-275
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• 2013

This study projected the future ocean wave climate changes based on global climate change scenario using the coupled climate model HadGEM2-AO according to the emission scenarios and using regional wave model. Annual mean significant wave height (SWH) is linked closely to annual mean wind speed during the forthcoming 21st Century. Because annual mean speed decreased in the western North Pacific, annual mean SWH is projected to decrease in the future. The annual mean SWH decreases for the last 30 years of the 21st century relative to the period 1971-2000 are 2~7% for RCP4.5 and 4~11% for RCP8.5, respectively. Also, extreme SWH and wind speed are projected to decrease in the future. In terms of seasonal mean, winter extreme SWH shows similar trend with annual extreme SWH; however, that of summer shows large increasing tendency compared with current climate in the western North Pacific. Therefore, typhoon intensity in the future might be more severe in the future climate.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.524-535
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• 2021

Rapid climate change and oceanic warming have increased the variability of oceanic wave heights over the past several decades. In addition, the extreme wave heights, such as the upper 1% (or 5%) wave heights, have increased more than the heights of the normal waves. This is true for waves both in global oceans as well as in local seas. Satellite altimeters have consistently observed significant wave heights (SWHs) since 1991, and sufficient SWH data have been accumulated to investigate 100-year return period SWH values based on statistical approaches. Satellite altimeter data were used to estimate the extreme SWHs at the Ieodo Ocean Research Station (IORS) for the period from 2005 to 2016. Two representative extreme value analysis (EVA) methods, the Initial Distribution Method (IDM) and Peak over Threshold (PoT) analysis, were applied for SWH measurements from satellite altimeter data and compared with the in situ measurements observed at the IORS. The 100-year return period SWH values estimated by IDM and PoT analysis using IORS measurements were 8.17 and 14.11 m, respectively, and those using satellite altimeter data were 9.21 and 16.49 m, respectively. When compared with the maximum value, the IDM method tended to underestimate the extreme SWH. This result suggests that the extreme SWHs could be reasonably estimated by the PoT method better than by the IDM method. The superiority of the PoT method was supported by the results of the in situ measurements at the IORS, which is affected by typhoons with extreme SWH events. It was also confirmed that the stability of the extreme SWH estimated using the PoT method may decline with a decrease in the quantity of the altimeter data used. Furthermore, this study discusses potential limitations in estimating extreme SWHs using satellite altimeter data, and emphasizes the importance of SWH measurements from the IORS as reference data in the East China Sea to verify satellite altimeter data.