  Because wind-generated waves can propagate over large distances, wave spectra
from a fixed point can record information about air-sea interactions in distant
areas. In this study, the spectral wave climate is computed for a specific
location in the tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean. Several well-defined partitions
independent of each other, referred to as wave-climate systems, are observed in
the annual mean wave spectrum. Significant seasonal cycling, long-term trends,
and correlations with climate indices are observed in the local wave spectra,
showing the abundant climatic information they contain. The projections of the
wind vector on the direction pointing to the target location are used to link
the spectral wave climate and basin-scale wind climate. The origins of all the
identified wave climate systems are clearly shown in the wind projection maps
and some are thousands of kilometers away from the target point, demonstrating
the validity of this connection. Comparisons are made between wave spectra and
the corresponding local and remote wind fields with respect to seasonal and
interannual variability, as well as the long-term trends. The results show that
each frequency and direction of ocean wave spectra at a certain location can be
linked to the wind field for a geographical area from a climatological point of
view, implying that it is feasible to reconstruct a spectral wave climate from
global observational wind field data and wind climate monitoring using
observations of wave spectrum geographically far away.
