International visions for ocean energy forecast large scale uptake of wave energy technologies on time horizons of the next several decades (e.g., OES-IA forecast an installed capacity of 337 GW of wave and tidal energy by 2050). It is now well accepted however that the global climate is undergoing notable change, and that the characteristics of the wave field will respond to projected shifts in storm tracks and intensities accordingly. Thus, it is prudent to consider the climatological changes which may occur to the wave resource field when the commercial viability of future wave energy projects are being considered on these same time-scales. The Coordinated Ocean Wave Climate Project (COWCLIP) was established in 2011 within the Joint Commission of Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM) Sessional Work plan, with the aim to raise the profile of wind-waves as a variable in the global climate system, to identify regions at risk of future changes in wave climate, and to evaluate the confidence of the community developed projected changes to global wave characteristics.
