Standardized wave and wind environments for NATO Operational Areas

Abstract : This report is a source document for specifying wind and wave conditions for those regions considered appropriate for joint operations of NATO naval forces. The areas considered are the North Atlantic Ocean northward from the Tropic of Cancer, the Mediterranean Sea, and coastal or landlocked areas such as the north, Baltic and Black Seas. The report provides seasonal and geographic distributions of wind and wave parameters and specifies mathematical models by which wave spectra, required by any ship seakeeping performance methodology, can be developed. Portions of the data are derived from the U.S. Navy's emerging Twenty Year Hindcast Wind and Wave Climatology, and are considered to be far superior to data previously available for those operating areas. (Author)