Spatiotemporal variability of wave climate in the Gulf of Riga

Abstract

Basic properties of wind wave climate in the Gulf of Riga, the Baltic Sea, are evaluated based on modelled wave fields, instrumentally measured and historical visually observed wave properties. Third-generation spectral wave model SWAN is applied to the entire Baltic Sea for 1990–2021 with a spatial resolution of 3 nautical miles (nmi, about 5.5 km) forced by the wind field of ERA5, to the Gulf of Riga and its entrance area with a resolution of 1 nmi (about 1.85 km), and to nearshore areas of this gulf with a resolution of 0.32 nmi (about 600 m). The calculations are performed for an idealised ice-free climate. Wave properties are represented by 36 directional and 32 frequency bins. The simulations are complemented by five sessions of instrumental measurements in the 2000s and two sets of historical visual wave observations from the island of Ruhnu and the Sõrve Peninsula for 1954–2011. Predominantly representing fetch-limited windseas, the wave climate in the gulf is milder and more intermittent than in the open Baltic Sea. The average significant wave height is mostly in the range of 0.6–0.8 m and peaks at 0.82 m inside the gulf. Typical wave periods are shorter than in the Baltic proper. The spatial pattern of wave heights, with higher wave intensity in the northern and eastern parts of the basin, follows anisotropy in wind conditions. Interannual variations are highly synchronised in different parts of the gulf. Their magnitude is less than 10% of the long-term average wave height. No long-term trend has been found in significant wave height and no distinct decadal variation exists inside the gulf.