Rising sea level and ocean acidification are common effects that come to our mind when we think of climate change but did you know that wave energy can also be affected?
Researchers from University of California, Santa Cruz have found that as surface of oceans became warmer, the energy of ocean waves have also increased globally.
In addition, scientists have found that wave power has been rising globally at a rate of about 0.4% per year since the 1940s. So what is wave power? To simply put it, wave power is the energy contained within ocean waves that are transmitted from the wind and culminating into wave motions. With warmer ocean surfaces, wind patterns will be affected and this may result in stronger waves.
These findings highlight the vulnerability of coastal communities and cities around the world that may bear the brunt of climate change not only by rising sea levels but also by other factors such as stronger wave actions.
This study which was published in Nature Communications paves the way for the analysis of global wave power as an invaluable indicator of climate change.
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