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The shortage of observational ocean wave data in the South Atlantic (SA) Ocean has resulted in numerical modelling becoming the most used tool for the investigation of wave climate in this oceanic region. In this article, the global model WAve Model (WAM) is used to simulate ocean waves in the SA from June 2006 to July 2007 with high time resolution. The four leading modes of the significant wave height, swell, wave peak period and surface wind velocity based on the empirical orthogonal functions (EOF) and singular value decomposition (SVD) methods are computed and analysed. The results show a number of specific characteristics present in the short-scale regime which emphasise and, in some cases, reduce some of the aspects of the global wave climate. The interaction between atmosphere and ocean has been found in several fields and modes that were examined. A relationship between tracks of extratropical cyclones are observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]