Impacts of Global Climate Change on the Future Ocean Wave Power Potential: A Case Study from the Indian Ocean

Harshinie Karunarathna, Pravin Maduwantha, Bahareh Kamranzad, Harsha Rathnasooriya and Kasun De Silva
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Harshinie Karunarathna: Zienkiewicz Centre for Computational Engineering, College of Engineering, Bay Campus, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8 EN, UK
Pravin Maduwantha: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa 10400, Sri Lanka
Bahareh Kamranzad: Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability (GSAIS), Kyoto University, Yoshida-Nakaadachi 1, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8306, Japan
Harsha Rathnasooriya: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa 10400, Sri Lanka
Kasun De Silva: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa 10400, Sri Lanka

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-22

Abstract: This study investigates the impacts of global climate change on the future wave power potential, taking Sri Lanka as a case study from the northern Indian Ocean. The geographical location of Sri Lanka, which receives long-distance swell waves generated in the Southern Indian Ocean, favors wave energy-harvesting. Waves projected by a numerical wave model developed using Simulating Waves Nearshore Waves (SWAN) wave model, which is forced by atmospheric forcings generated by an Atmospheric Global Climate Model (AGCM) within two time slices that represent “present” and “future” (end of century) wave climates, are used to evaluate and compare present and future wave power potential around Sri Lanka. The results reveal that there will be a 12–20% reduction in average available wave power along the south-west and south-east coasts of Sri Lanka in future. This reduction is due mainly to changes to the tropical south-west monsoon system because of global climate change. The available wave power resource attributed to swell wave component remains largely unchanged. Although a detailed analysis of monthly and annual average wave power under both “present” and “future” climates reveals a strong seasonal and some degree of inter-annual variability of wave power, a notable decadal-scale trend of variability is not visible during the simulated 25-year periods. Finally, the results reveal that the wave power attributed to swell waves are very stable over the long term.

Keywords: climate change; ocean wave power; wave projections; Sri Lanka; Indian Ocean (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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