The East Sea, located next to Korea and Japan, is a part of the ocean that reacts strongly to climate change. In this study, scientists wanted to know how dangerous ocean waves called extreme wave events might change in the future. These waves can damage ships, ports, and buildings along the coast. To find out, they used a computer model that simulates waves based on future weather patterns predicted by 10 climate models. They looked at how wave height and wave duration could change between 2026 and 2050, and compared those results to past wave patterns from 1985 to 2014.

The study found that big waves could become stronger and last longer, up to 10% more, especially along Korea’s east coast. In the fall, strong winds from the northeast might cause more long, rolling waves, known as swell waves. These changes suggest that people who live near the ocean or work at sea need to plan carefully for the future, because dangerous waves may happen more often and be more powerful.