In this paper, we analyze the surface winds of ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis in the Atlantic Ocean. The first part addresses a reanalysis validation, studying the spatial distribution of the errors and the performance as a function of the percentiles, with a further investigation under cyclonic conditions. The second part proposes and compares two calibration models, a simple least-squares linear regression (LR) and the quantile mapping method (QM). Our results indicate that ERA5 provides high-quality winds for non-extreme conditions, especially at the eastern boundaries, with bias between −0.5 and 0.3 m/s and RMSE below 1.5 m/s. The reanalysis errors are site-dependent, where large RMSE and severe underestimation are found in tropical latitudes and locations following the warm currents. The most extreme winds in tropical cyclones show the worst results, with RMSE above 5 m/s. Apart from these areas, the strong winds at extratropical locations are well represented. The bias-correction models have proven to be very efficient in removing systematic bias. The LR works well for low-to-mild wind intensities while the QM is better for the upper percentiles and winds above 15 m/s—an improvement of 10% in RMSE and 50% for the bias compared to the original reanalysis is reported.

The generation and evolution of ocean waves by wind is one of the most complex phenomena in geophysics, and is of great practical significance. Predictive capabilities of respective wave models, however, are impaired by lack of field in situ observations, particularly in extreme Metocean conditions. The paper outlines and highlights important gaps in understanding the Metocean processes and suggests a major observational program in the Southern Ocean. This large, but poorly investigated part of the World Ocean is home to extreme weather around the year. The observational network would include distributed system of buoys (drifting and stationary) and autonomous surface vehicles (ASV), intended for measurements of waves and air-sea fluxes in the Southern Ocean. It would help to resolve the issues of limiting fetches, extreme Extra-Tropical cyclones, swell propagation and attenuation, wave-current interactions, and address the topics of wave-induced dispersal of floating objects, wave-ice interactions in the Marginal Ice Zone, Metocean climatology and its connection with the global climate.