| Summary: | A non-stationary extreme value analysis of 41 years (1979–2019) of global ERA5 (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis) significant wave height data is undertaken to investigate trends in the values of 100-year significant wave height, <inline-formula><math display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msubsup><mi>H</mi><mi>s</mi><mrow><mn>100</mn></mrow></msubsup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>. The analysis shows that there has been a statistically significant increase in the value of <inline-formula><math display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msubsup><mi>H</mi><mi>s</mi><mrow><mn>100</mn></mrow></msubsup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> over large regions of the Southern Hemisphere. There have also been smaller decreases in <inline-formula><math display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msubsup><mi>H</mi><mi>s</mi><mrow><mn>100</mn></mrow></msubsup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> in the Northern Hemisphere, although the related trends are generally not statistically significant. The increases in the Southern Hemisphere are a result of an increase in either the frequency or intensity of winter storms, particularly in the Southern Ocean.
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