Futurity discusses why climate change will make extreme waves more frequent. Over the next 80 years, a warming planet will cause stronger storm winds, triggering larger and more frequent extreme waves, according to new research.
Researchers simulated Earth’s changing climate under different wind conditions, recreating thousands of simulated storms to evaluate the magnitude and frequency of extreme events.
They find that if we don’t curb global emissions, there will be an increase of up to 10% in the frequency and magnitude of extreme waves in extensive ocean regions.
In contrast, researchers found there would be a significantly lower increase where effective steps are taken to reduce emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. In both scenarios, the largest increase in magnitude and frequency of extreme waves is in the Southern Ocean.