Overview of Bering/Chukchi Sea Wave States for Selected Severe Storms

Abstract

Strong storms are regular features over the ocean west of Alaska. These systems often loiter, generating moderate to severe marine states which can exhibit persistence, maximizing damage and hazard potential. This analysis presents the wave states associated with selected storms over the Bering and Chukchi Seas. These include the damaging events of October 2004, September 2005, and November 2009, along with a strong event from September 2011 that exhibited north winds. For each event a brief synoptic overview is presented followed by consideration of the resultant wave state, including parameters such as wave steepness. Wave data come from NOAA’s WAVEWATCH III operational global ocean wave model, implemented locally on the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center at University of Alaska Fairbanks. Comparison with observational data gathered by a wave buoy, funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency/NOAA and deployed in 2011, is also undertaken.