scholarly journals Mechanisms of variability of decadal sea-level trends in the Baltic Sea over the 20th century

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sitar Karabil ◽  
Eduardo Zorita ◽  
Birgit Hünicke
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Tide Gauge ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Tide Gauge Records ◽  
Underlying Factor ◽  
The North ◽  
Coastal Sea ◽  
The Baltic

Abstract. Coastal sea-level trends in the Baltic Sea display decadal-scale variations around a centennial trend. These long-term centennial trends are likely determined by climate change and centennial vertical land movements. In this study, we analyse the spatial and temporal characteristics of the decadal trend variations and investigate the links between coastal sea-level trends and atmospheric forcing on decadal time scale. This investigation mainly focuses on the identification of the possible impact of an underlying factor, apart from the effect of atmospheric circulation, on decadal sea-level trend anomalies. For this analysis, we use monthly means of long tide gauge records and gridded sea-surface-height (SSH) reconstructions. The SSH time series are constructed over the past 64 years and based on tide-gauge records and satellite altimetry. Climatic data sets are composed of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index, the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) index, gridded sea-level-pressure (SLP), gridded near-surface air temperature and gridded precipitation fields. The analysis indicates that atmospheric forcing is a driving factor of decadal sea-level trends. However, its effect is geographically heterogeneous. The Baltic Sea can be classified into two parts according to atmospheric impacts on decadal sea-level trends: one part consists of the northern and eastern regions of the Baltic Sea, where this impact is large. The other one covers the southern Baltic Sea area, with a smaller impact of the atmospheric circulation. To identify the influence of the large-scale factors other than the simultaneous effect of atmospheric circulation on the Baltic Sea level trends, we filter out the direct signature of atmospheric circulation on the Baltic Sea level by a multivariate linear regression model and analysed the residuals of this regression model. These residuals hint at a common underlying factor that coherently drives the decadal sea-level trends into the similar direction in the whole Baltic Sea region. We found that this underlying effect is partly a consequence of precipitation contribution to the Baltic Sea basin in the previous season. The investigation on the relation between the AMO-index and sea-level trends implies that this detected underlying factor is not connected to oceanic forcing driven from the North Atlantic region.

scholarly journals Mechanisms of variability in decadal sea-level trends in the Baltic Sea over the 20th century

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 1031-1046 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sitar Karabil ◽  
Eduardo Zorita ◽  
Birgit Hünicke
Keyword(s):  
Regression Model ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Underlying Factor ◽  
Coastal Sea ◽  
The Baltic

Abstract. Coastal sea-level trends in the Baltic Sea display decadal-scale variations around a long-term centennial trend. In this study, we analyse the spatial and temporal characteristics of the decadal trend variations and investigate the links between coastal sea-level trends and atmospheric forcing on a decadal timescale. For this analysis, we use monthly means of sea-level and climatic data sets. The sea-level data set is composed of long tide gauge records and gridded sea surface height (SSH) reconstructions. Climatic data sets are composed of sea-level pressure, air temperature, precipitation, evaporation, and climatic variability indices. The analysis indicates that atmospheric forcing is a driving factor of decadal sea-level trends. However, its effect is geographically heterogeneous. This impact is large in the northern and eastern regions of the Baltic Sea. In the southern Baltic Sea area, the impacts of atmospheric circulation on decadal sea-level trends are smaller. To identify the influence of the large-scale factors other than the effect of atmospheric circulation in the same season on Baltic Sea sea-level trends, we filter out the direct signature of atmospheric circulation for each season separately on the Baltic Sea level through a multivariate linear regression model and analyse the residuals of this regression model. These residuals hint at a common underlying factor that coherently drives the decadal sea-level trends in the whole Baltic Sea. We found that this underlying effect is partly a consequence of decadal precipitation trends in the Baltic Sea basin in the previous season. The investigation of the relation between the AMO index and sea-level trends implies that this detected underlying factor is not connected to oceanic forcing driven from the North Atlantic region.

scholarly journals Anomalous secular sea-level acceleration in the Baltic Sea caused by isostatic adjustment

2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Spada ◽  
Marco Olivieri ◽  
Gaia Galassi
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Tide Gauge ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Tide Gauge Records ◽  
Sea Level Acceleration ◽  
Global Sea Level ◽  
The Baltic

<p>Observations from the global array of tide gauges show that global sea-level has been rising at an average rate of 1.5-2 mm/yr during the last ~150 years [Douglas 1991, Spada and Galassi 2012]. Although a global sea-level acceleration was initially ruled out [Douglas 1992], subsequent studies [Douglas 1997, Church and White 2006, Jevrejeva et al. 2008, Church and White 2011] have coherently proposed values of ~1 mm/year/century [Olivieri and Spada 2013]. More complex non-linear trends and abrupt sea-level variations have now also been recognized. Globally, these could manifest a regime shift between the late Holocene and the current rhythms of sea-level rise [Gehrels and Woodworth 2013], while locally they result from ocean circulation anomalies, steric effects and wind stress [Bromirski et al. 2011, Merrifield 2011]. Although isostatic readjustment affects the local rates of secular sea-level change [Milne and Mitrovica 1998, Peltier 2004], a possible impact on regional acceleration has been so far discounted [Douglas 1992, Jevrejeva et al. 2008, Woodworth et al. 2009] since the process evolves on a millennium time scale [Turcotte and Schubert 2002]. Here we report a previously unnoticed anomaly in the long-term sea-level acceleration of the Baltic Sea tide gauge records, and we explain it by the classical post-glacial rebound theory and numerical modeling of glacial isostasy. Contrary to previous assumptions, our findings demonstrate that isostatic compensation plays a role in the regional secular sea-level acceleration.</p>

Sea level variations in the coastal region from altimetry – Using optimal interpolation in the Baltic Sea for 3-day mean sea level from altimetry, tide gauge and model data

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ida Margrethe Ringgaard ◽  
Jacob L. Høyer ◽  
Kristine S. Madsen ◽  
Adili Abulaitijiang ◽  
Ole B. Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Temporal Resolution ◽  
Satellite Altimetry ◽  
Tide Gauge ◽  
Coastal Region ◽  
Optimal Interpolation ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Spatial Coverage ◽  
The Baltic

&lt;p&gt;The rise and fall of the sea surface in the coastal region is observed closely by two different sources: tide gauges measure the relative sea level anomaly at the coast at high temporal resolution (minutes or hours) and satellite altimeters measure the absolute sea surface height of the open ocean along tracks multiple times a day. However, these daily tracks are scattered across the Baltic Sea with each track being repeated at a lower temporal resolution (days). Due to the inverse relationship between spatial and temporal coverage of the satellite altimetry data, gridded satellite altimetry products often prioritize spatial coverage over temporal resolution, thus filtering out the high sea level variability. In other words, the satellite data, and especially averaged products, often miss the daily sea level variability, such as storm surges, which is most important for all societies in the coastal region. To compensate for the sparse spatial coverage from satellite altimetry, we here present an experimental product developed as part of the ESA project Baltic+SEAL: &amp;#160;on a 3-day scale, the DMI Optimal Interpolation (DMI-OI) method is combined with error statistics from a storm surge model as well as 3-day averages from both tide gauge observations and satellite altimetry tracks to generate a gridded sea level anomaly product for the Baltic Sea for year 2017. The product captures the overall temporal evolution of the sea level changes well for most areas with an average RMSE wrt. tide gauge observations of 17.2 cm and a maximum of 34.2 cm. Thus, the 3-day mean gridded product shows potential as an alternative to monthly altimetry products, although further work is needed.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Validation of Copernicus Sea Level Altimetry Products in the Baltic Sea and Estonian Lakes

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 4062
Author(s):  
Aive Liibusk ◽  
Tarmo Kall ◽  
Sander Rikka ◽  
Rivo Uiboupin ◽  
Ülo Suursaar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Tide Gauge ◽  
Tide Gauges ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Geoid Model ◽  
Temporal Sampling ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Level 2

Multi-mission satellite altimetry (e.g., ERS, Envisat, TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason) data have enabled a synoptic-scale view of ocean variations in past decades. Since 2016, the Sentinel-3 mission has provided better spatial and temporal sampling compared to its predecessors. The Sentinel-3 Ku/C Radar Altimeter (SRAL) is one of the synthetic aperture radar altimeters (SAR Altimeter) which is more precise for coastal and lake observations. The article studies the performance of the Sentinel-3 Level-2 sea level altimetry products in the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea and on two lakes of Estonia. The Sentinel-3 data were compared with (i) collocated Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) ship measurements, (ii) the Estonian geoid model (EST-GEOID2017) together with sea-level anomaly corrections from the tide gauges, and (iii) collocated buoy measurements. The comparisons were carried out along seven Sentinel-3A/B tracks across the Baltic Sea and Estonian lakes in 2019. In addition, the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS) Level-3 sea-level products and the Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO) reanalysis outcomes were compared with measurements from Estonia’s 21 tide gauges and the buoy deployed offshore. Our results showed that the uncertainty of the Sentinel-3 Level-2 altimetry product was below decimetre level for the seacoast and the selected lakes of Estonia. Results from CMEMS Level-3 altimetry products showed a correlation of 0.83 (RMSE 0.18 m) and 0.91 (RMSE 0.27 m) when compared against the tide gauge measurements and the NEMO model, respectively. The overall performance of the altimetry products was very good, except in the immediate vicinity of the coastline and for the lakes, where the accuracy was nearly three times lower than for the open sea, but still acceptably good.

scholarly journals Geodetic SAR for Height System Unification and Sea Level Research—Observation Concept and Preliminary Results in the Baltic Sea

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 3747
Author(s):  
Thomas Gruber ◽  
Jonas Ågren ◽  
Detlef Angermann ◽  
Artu Ellmann ◽  
Andreas Engfeldt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Tide Gauge ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Early Results ◽  
Height System ◽  
First Results ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Sea Area ◽  
The Impact

Traditionally, sea level is observed at tide gauge stations, which usually also serve as height reference stations for national leveling networks and therefore define a height system of a country. One of the main deficiencies to use tide gauge data for geodetic sea level research and height systems unification is that only a few stations are connected to the geometric network of a country by operating permanent GNSS receivers next to the tide gauge. As a new observation technique, absolute positioning by SAR using active transponders on ground can fill this gap by systematically observing time series of geometric heights at tide gauge stations. By additionally knowing the tide gauge geoid heights in a global height reference frame, one can finally obtain absolute sea level heights at each tide gauge. With this information the impact of climate change on the sea level can be quantified in an absolute manner and height systems can be connected across the oceans. First results from applying this technique at selected tide gauges at the Baltic coasts are promising but also exhibit some problems related to the new technique. The paper presents the concept of using the new observation type in an integrated sea level observing system and provides some early results for SAR positioning in the Baltic sea area.

scholarly journals Annual Sea Level Changes on the North American Northeast Coast: Influence of Local Winds and Barotropic Motions

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (13) ◽  
pp. 4801-4816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Piecuch ◽  
Sönke Dangendorf ◽  
Rui M. Ponte ◽  
Marta Marcos
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Wind Stress ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Tide Gauge ◽  
Sea Level Changes ◽  
Tide Gauge Records ◽  
Barotropic Model ◽  
The North ◽  
Ocean Reanalyses ◽  
Coastal Sea

Abstract Understanding the relationship between coastal sea level and the variable ocean circulation is crucial for interpreting tide gauge records and projecting sea level rise. In this study, annual sea level records (adjusted for the inverted barometer effect) from tide gauges along the North American northeast coast over 1980–2010 are compared to a set of data-assimilating ocean reanalysis products as well as a global barotropic model solution forced with wind stress and barometric pressure. Correspondence between models and data depends strongly on model and location. At sites north of Cape Hatteras, the barotropic model shows as much (if not more) skill than ocean reanalyses, explaining about 50% of the variance in the adjusted annual tide gauge sea level records. Additional numerical experiments show that annual sea level changes along this coast from the barotropic model are driven by local wind stress over the continental shelf and slope. This result is interpreted in the light of a simple dynamic framework, wherein bottom friction balances surface wind stress in the alongshore direction and geostrophy holds in the across-shore direction. Results highlight the importance of barotropic dynamics on coastal sea level changes on interannual and decadal time scales; they also have implications for diagnosing the uncertainties in current ocean reanalyses, using tide gauge records to infer past changes in ocean circulation, and identifying the physical mechanisms responsible for projected future regional sea level rise.

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