Abstract:

This study compared automatic weather station data, manual observation of wave height measured by the RV Xuelong, and ERA-Interim data from the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) dataset collected by China’s 34th Antarctic expedition. The correlation coefficients all reached levels of significance. The ERA-Interim data were chosen to analyze climatological characteristics in the Amundsen Sea, including the average 10-m wind field, mean and extreme significant wave heights, extreme wind speed, and mean sea-level pressure. The results show that wind direction in the Amundsen Sea at the middle and high latitudes was stable westward, and wind speed decreased with an increasing latitude. The average wind speed, frequency of strong winds, and extreme wind speed were variable from month to month. The average wind speed and frequency of strong winds were highest in March, followed by in February, and lowest in December and January. Variations of significant wave height corresponded to zonal wind speed, decreasing with an increasing latitude. Likewise, wave height decreased with an increasing latitude. In March, the average significant wave height at 57°–55°S reached more than 4 m, and the frequency of very rough sea at 60°–55°S exceeded 35%. Overall, wind speed and wave height in the Amundsen Sea were relatively high in March, dropping in December–January.

Key words: Antarctic expedition, Amundsen Sea, automatic weather station, manual observation, reanalysis data, analysis of weather and sea conditions