Sydney is located in the south-west Pacific at 34°s and receives waves generated in the southern Coral
and Tasman Seas. Waves are generated by five meteorological systems: tropical cyclones, east-coast
cyclones, mid-latitude cyclones, zonal anticyclonic highs and local summer seabreezes. An examination
of 20 years of Sydney wave data reveals that each source has a characteristic seasonality, location and
spectrum, permitting the wave climate to be decomposed accordingly. Although at first glance the
annual wave climate is both energetic and highly variable, a distinct seasonality is present, with the
months of February-March and June experiencing the largest average monthly wave heights. Although
moderate waves dominate the climate, extreme waves (>4 m) and/or low swell may occur in any
month.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.