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Mediterranean Sea level trends: Atmospheric pressure and wind contribution
Author(s) -
Tsimplis M. N.,
ÁlvarezFanjul E.,
Gomis D.,
FenoglioMarc L.,
Pérez B.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2005gl023867
Subject(s) - tide gauge , mediterranean sea , barotropic fluid , climatology , sea level , mediterranean climate , atmospheric pressure , environmental science , north atlantic oscillation , oceanography , mediterranean basin , period (music) , low pressure area , geology , atmospheric sciences , geography , archaeology , physics , acoustics
The 9 longest tide‐gauge records in the Mediterranean Sea are compared with the output of a barotropic model forced by atmospheric pressure and wind. Between 1958 and 2001 the tide‐gauges indicate sea level trends of −0.4 to 0.7 mm/yr. During the same period the model shows sea level reduction of −0.4 to −0.7 mm/yr linked with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). After the removal of the meteorological influence from the sea level records the resulting trends are ∼0.3 ± 0.4 mm/yr at the western Mediterranean and ∼1.3 ± 0.4 mm/yr at the eastern Mediterranean. The eastern basin is strongly affected by rapid sea level rise in the period 1993–2001 with rates of 5–10 mm/yr which are probably related to the Eastern Mediterranean Transient (EMT).