scholarly journals On the interpretation of the steric and mass components of sea level variability: The case of the Mediterranean basin

2013 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 953-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Jordà ◽  
Damià Gomis
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Sea Level Variability ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Erosional landforms and biological structures in tectonically stable areas in the Mediterranean basin

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Vaccher ◽  
Stefano Furlani ◽  
Sara Biolchi ◽  
Chiara Boccali ◽  
Alice Busetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Vertical Position ◽  
Structural Constraints ◽  
Last Interglacial ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Biological Structures ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

<p>The Mediterranean basin displays a variety of neotectonics scenarios leading to positive or negative vertical displacement, which change the vertical position of former coastlines. As a result, the best locations to evaluate former sea levels and validate sea-level models are tectonically stable areas. There are a number of coastal areas considered to be stable based on the elevation of paleo sea-level markers, the absence of historical seismicity, and by their position far from major Mediterranean faults. We report here the results of swim surveys carried out at such locations following the Geoswim approach described by Furlani (2020) in nine coastal sectors of the central Mediterranean Sea (Egadi Island - Marettimo, Favignana, Levanzo, Gaeta Promontory, Circeo Promontory, North Sardinia - Razzoli, Budelli, Santa Maria, NW Sardinia – Capocaccia, Maddalena Archipelago, Tavolara Island, East of Malta - Ahrax Point, Bugibba-Qawra, Delimara, Addura, Palermo, Ansedonia Promontory). All the sites are considered to be tectonically stable, as validated by the elevation of sea-level indicators. In fact, modern and MIS5.5 (last interglacial) m.s.l. altitudes fit well with accepted figures based upon field data and model projections. Starting from precise morphometric parameters such as the size of tidal notches and indicative landforms and biological structures, we have developed a procedure that integrates multiple geomorphological and biological descriptors applicable to the vast spectrum of locally diverse coastal situations occurring in the Mediterranean Sea. We took detailed measurements of features such as modern and MIS5.5 tidal notches at 146 sites in all the areas, the absence of modern tidal notch at Circeo promontory, shore platforms, and MIS5.5 marine terraces at Egadi islands, Malta, and Palermo. Biological structures were also measured. In particular, vermetid platforms at Egadi, Palermo and Malta. The morphometric characteristics of these indicators depend on 1) local geological and structural constraints, 2) local geomorphotypes, 3) climate, sea, and weather conditions that affect geomorphic and biological processes, and 4) the sea level change history.</p>

Coastal Geomorphology and Sea-Level Change

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iain Stewart ◽  
Christophe Morhange
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Sea Level Change ◽  
Coastal Geomorphology ◽  
Level Change ◽  
Shoreline Evolution ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Coastal Features ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin ◽  
And Sea Level

The intricate shores of the Mediterranean Sea twist and turn for some 46,000 km, with three-quarters of their convoluted length confined to only four countries— Italy, Croatia, Greece, and Turkey. Just over half the coast is rocky, much of it limestone, with the remainder encompassing almost every type of littoral environment (exceptions being coral reefs and mangrove wetlands). Such littoral diversity has long made the seaboard of southern Europe, the Levant, and North Africa a fruitful natural laboratory for studying coastal geomorphology and sea-level change. The virtually enclosed sea ensures that wave processes are generally modest and the tidal range is limited (often less than half a metre), a combination that permits observational evidence of many modern shoreline features to be related precisely to mean sea level. Consequently, relative shifts in the position of now relict coastal features can be used to track the rhythms of relative sea-level change and shoreline evolution. Such rhythms have a bearing on several aspects beyond the physical geography of the Mediterranean basin: they inform archaeological reconstructions of the past settlement and exploitation of a coastal zone that has been an important focus of human activity since Palaeolithic times; they provide testing and fine-tuning for geophysical, geodynamic, and palaeoclimatic models for the region; and they set the backdrop to contemporary societal issues, such as future sea-level rise and coastline adjustments to mass tourism, which threaten the long-term sustainability of the Mediterranean littoral. In this chapter, we review these diverse facets of the Mediterranean coastal realm to provide a synthesis of how these shores have evolved into their present-day appearance. The Mediterranean occupies the convergence zone between two major tectonic plates, Africa and Europe, with a third, Arabia, pressing from the east. Caught within the collisional vice of these great plates are several minor plates and crustal blocks, most notably Anatolia and Apulia. The result is a complex network of plate tectonic structures that define the general configuration of the seaboard. In particular, two major subduction systems partition the Mediterranean basin into a patchwork of minor basins and subsidiary seas (Krijgsman 2002; Chapter 1).

scholarly journals Characterisation of low-frequency sea level oscillations in the Mediterranean sea

2019 ◽  
pp. 121-133
Author(s):  
Vesna Bertoncelj ◽  
Matjaž Ličer ◽  
Dušan Žagar ◽  
Davide Bonaldo
Keyword(s):  
Spectral Analysis ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Storm Event ◽  
Sea Level Oscillations ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Implementing adequate defences for low-lying coastal area against coastal flooding requires thorough knowledge of all potential influences leading to increased sea levels, including low-frequency sea level oscillations. We present and describe several methods applicable for the analysis of low-frequency sea level oscillations in the Mediterranean Sea: wavelet analysis, spectral analysis, moving-periodogram analysis, and rotary spectral analysis. These methods were applied for characterisation of subinertial sea level oscillations with periods greater of the period of inertial oscillation (18 hours in the Northern Adriatic Sea) on measured sea surface elevations and current velocities in the Mediterranean Sea. Preliminary analysis was performed on observations of a storm event in the Adriatic Sea at the end of January and the beginning of February 2014, revealing a peak in the frequency spectrum in the frequency band between 0.3−0.4 day−1. Further analysis was done on long-term tide gauge measurements available for 62 stations in the Mediterranean basin. The application of the selected methods provided a preliminary set of seasonal occurrences and durations of subinertial oscillation. This sets the ground for further investigation into the propagation of low-frequency sea level oscillations throughout the Mediterranean basin and for characterisation of the mechanisms triggering the process, including with regard to climate change.

A 44-year (1958–2001) sea level residual hindcast over the Mediterranean Basin

2008 ◽  
Vol 33 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 250-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.W. Ratsimandresy ◽  
M.G. Sotillo ◽  
E. Álvarez Fanjul ◽  
J.C. Carretero Albiach ◽  
B. Pérez Gómez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin
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