Why the South Atlantic can be rougher

How does the South Atlantic sea state compare with the North Atlantic?

The South Atlantic is slightly worse, noting that broad southern latitudes contain fewer land masses to interrupt wind and wave systems.

The South Atlantic is marginally rougher than the North Atlantic, while acknowledging uncertainty over a single complete explanation. A follow-up points to the limited land barriers across southern latitudes, where wind and waves can travel from South America toward Australia with little interruption. For naval operations, even a slight difference in prevailing sea state affects endurance, flight operations, and the behavior of smaller ships.