Empirical Orthogonal Function Analysis of Global Significant Wave Height

The EOF method was used for the analysis of global significant wave height based on the monthly average data of the TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter from 1998 to 2001. It gets the time modes and the spatial modes of the global significant wave height. The first spatial mode shows that the distribution of the global significant wave height take on as saddle shape, low in equator, high in high latitude area. The first time mode and the second time mode all have a period of one year. They are also nearly out of phase to each other. It helps to obtain a good understanding about the global wave energy distribution.