This paper analyses secular changes and interannual variability in the wind wave, swell, and significant wave height (SWH) characteristics over the North Atlantic and North Pacific on the basis of wind wave climatology derived from the visual wave observations of voluntary observing ship (VOS) officers. These data are available from the International Comprehensive Ocean–Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) collection of surface meteorological observations for 1958–2002, but require much more complicated preprocessing than standard meteorological variables such as sea level pressure, temperature, and wind. Visual VOS data allow for separate analysis of changes in wind sea and swell, as well as in significant wave height, which has been derived from wind sea and swell estimates. In both North Atlantic and North Pacific midlatitudes winter significant wave height shows a secular increase from 10 to 40 cm decade−1 during the last 45 yr. However, in the North Atlantic the patterns of trend changes for wind sea and swell are quite different from each other, showing opposite signs of changes in the northeast Atlantic. Trend patterns of wind sea, swell, and SWH in the North Pacific are more consistent with each other. Qualitatively the same conclusions hold for the analysis of interannual variability whose leading modes demonstrate noticeable differences for wind sea and swell. Statistical analysis shows that variability in wind sea is closely associated with the local wind speed, while swell changes can be driven by the variations in the cyclone counts, implying the importance of forcing frequency for the resulting changes in significant wave height. This mechanism of differences in variability patterns of wind sea and swell is likely more realistic than the northeastward propagation of swells from the regions from which the wind sea signal originates.

Historical trends in the direction and magnitude of ocean surface wave height, period, or direction are debated due to diverse data, time-periods, or methodologies. Using a consistent community-driven ensemble of global wave products, we quantify and establish regions with robust trends in global multivariate wave fields between 1980 and 2014. We find that about 30–40% of the global ocean experienced robust seasonal trends in mean and extreme wave height, period, and direction. Most of the Southern Hemisphere exhibited strong upward-trending wave heights (1–2 cm per year) and periods during winter and summer. Ocean basins with robust positive trends are far larger than those with negative trends. Historical trends calculated over shorter periods generally agree with satellite records but vary from product to product, with some showing a consistently negative bias. Variability in trends across products and time-periods highlights the importance of considering multiple sources when seeking robust change analyses.

The article presents a joint analysis of wind and wave characteristics derived from Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) data and measurements of the innovative Ku-band radar SWIM (Surface Waves Investigation and Monitoring) carried by Chinese-French Ocean SATellite (CFOSAT). Global distributions of significant wave height and wind speed in both datasets demonstrate good qualitative and quantitative agreement, especially in regions with a high spatio-temporal density of visual observations. A particular focus is made on discriminating wave systems by joint analysis of separately observed wind sea and swell characteristics in VOS and the partitions of wave spectra measured by SWIM. It is shown that three wave partitions from SWIM cannot be clearly attributed to wind sea, first, and secondary swell systems. The 1^st partition aggregates both wind sea and swell in the operational wavelength range of the SWIM radar, while the 2^nd and 3^rd partitions fit neither wind sea, nor swell. A comparison of VOS and SWIM data within a 50 km radius and a 30 min time lag shows a very close match for most parameters in terms of mean values, yet with relatively high dispersion of individual measurements.

The global visual wave observations are reanalyzed within the theoretical concept of self‐similar wind‐driven seas. The core of the analysis is one‐parametric dependencies of wave height on wave period. Theoretically, wind‐driven seas are governed by power‐like laws with exponents close to Toba's one 3/2 while the corresponding swell exponent (−1/2) has an opposite signature. This simple criterion was used and appeared to be adequate to the problem of swell and wind‐driven waves discrimination. This theoretically based discrimination does not follow exactly the Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) data. This important issue is considered both in the context of methodology of obtaining VOS data and within the physics of wind waves. The results are detailed for global estimates and for analysis of particular areas of the Pacific Ocean. Prospects of further studies are discussed. In particular, satellite data are seen to be promising for tracking ocean swell and for studies of physical mechanisms of its evolution.

A new global archive of wind wave characteristics has been developed based on Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) data for the period of 1888–2015. In addition to the basic meteorological variables, we have derived the records of visually observed heights, periods, and wind sea and swell directions. The main parameters have been supplemented by significant wave height and dominant period estimates, as well as wave geometry characteristics: steepness, wave age, and wavelength. Multistage quality control has been applied to correct or eliminate spurious values. Data are presented as individual records for every month and as original monthly means fields for every parameter. Easy access and use, along with representative data, make the new archive particularly special and applicable in different ways without any additional preprocessing. Visual wave observations assimilated in the new archive can be used to develop global and regional climatologies, estimate extreme wave characteristics and long-term trends in wave climate, verify and compare them with satellite measurements and model analysis, and test the theoretical laws of ocean wave development and propagation.