The Effect of the Difference in Intensity and Track of Tropical Cyclone on Significant Wave Height and Wave Direction in the Southeast Indian Ocean

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the effect of the differences in intensity and track of tropical cyclones upon significant wave heights and direction of ocean waves in the southeast Indian Ocean. We used the tropical cyclone data from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) starting from December 1997 to November 2017. The significant wave height and wave direction data are reanalysis data from Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS), and the mean sea level pressure, surface wind speed, and wind direction data are reanalysis data from European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) from December 1997 to November 2017. The results show that the significant wave height increases with the increasing intensity of tropical cyclones. Meanwhile, the direction of the waves is influenced by the presence of tropical cyclones when tropical cyclones enter the categories of 3, 4, and 5. Tropical cyclones that move far from land tend to have higher significant wave height and wider affected areas compared to tropical cyclones that move near the mainland following the coastline