Hemispheric Asymmetry in Future Wave Power Changes: Seasonality and Physical Mechanisms

Abstract

To reduce the dependency on fossil fuels and mitigate the related climate change disasters, renewable energies are experiencing rapid interest, financial investment, and technological development. Alongside of other leading renewable energies, ocean wave energy (hereafter simply referred to as wave energy unless otherwise stated) is also promising owing to its additional advantages such as high energy density compared to others, high predictability, low visibility and environmental impact, coastal protection, etc. (Kamranzad & Hadadpour, 2020). The design parameters of wave energy farms depend on wave energy resource variability. Being a key element of climate system (Hemer et al., 2012), waves are likely to be affected by global climate change. Previous studies have claimed that in addition to amount of energy and its seasonality, long-term change is also prerequisite for

Increased Contribution of Circumpolar Deep Water Upwelling to Methylmercury in the Upper Ocean around Antarctica: Evidence from Mercury Isotopes in the Ornithogenic Sediments

“…On the other hand, this study also contributes to understanding the impact of future climate-induced changes in ocean circulation on MeHg levels in marine food webs. Model simulations suggest that the SAM would exhibit consistent intensification toward its positive phase at the late 21st century, indicating that the CDW intrusions may be enhanced in the future. − This means that the contribution of upwelling to MeHg in the Antarctic coastal seawater will further increase, leading to a higher risk of Hg bioaccumulation in coastal ecosystems. Our study highlights the important impact of CDW upwelling on the MeHg cycle in Antarctic coastal waters, and further studies such as spatiotemporal observations of Hg concentrations in the Southern Ocean and numerical model simulations are needed to quantify this effect.…”

“…However, largely due to the scarcity of Hg concentration and species measurements in the Southern Ocean, the results of the model lack further validation. Since the intensification and poleward shift of westerlies in the Southern Ocean is projected to persist through the 21st century, − increased CDW intrusions are expected; thus, it is important to understand the response of the marine MeHg cycle in the Southern Ocean to the increased CDW intrusions. , …”

CMIP6 projections for global offshore wind and wave energy production (2015–2100)

“…For wave energy, a similar conclusion can be reached but greater caution is advisable because its future evolution also depends on ongoing technological developments. Other aspects such as detected changes in the frequency of extreme weather events or the hemispheric asymmetry in future wave power changes 47 – 49 are beyond the scope of this study.…”