scholarly journals New Methods Measure How Vertical Land Motion Affects Sea Level

Eos ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lily Strelich

Researchers demonstrate the value of combining GPS and satellite data on vertical motion of the Earth's surface with tide gauge measurements to track rising sea levels.

Author(s):  
Amelius Andi Mansawan ◽  
Jonson Lumban Gaol ◽  
James P. Panjaitan

Observation of sea levels continuously is very important in order to adapt the disasters in the coastal areas. Conventionally observations of sea level using tide gauge, but the number of tide gauge installed along the coast of Indonesia is still limited. Altimetry satellite data is one solution; therefore it is necessary to assess the potential and accuracy of altimetry satellite data to complement the sea level data from tide gauges. The study was conducted in the coastal waters of Cilacap and Bali by analysis data Envisat satellite altimetry for period 2003 to 2010 and data compiled from a variety of satellite altimetry from 2006 to 2014. Data tidal was used as a comparison of altimetry satellite data. The altimetry satellite data in Cilacap and Benoa waters more than 90% could be used to assess the variation and the sea level rise during the period 2003-2010. The rate of sea level rise both the data of tidal and satellite altimetry data indicates the same rate was 3.5 mm/year in Cilacap. in Benoa are 4.7 mm/year and 5.60 mm/year respectively.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 45-58
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Pajak ◽  
Kamil Kowalczyk ◽  
Jānis Kaminskis ◽  
Magdalena Idzikowska

Tide gauge observations provide sea level relative to the Earth’s crust, while satellite altimetry measures sea level variations relative to the centre of the Earth’s mass. Local vertical land motion can be a significant contribution to the measured sea level change.Satellite altimetry was traditionally used to study the open ocean, but this technology is now being used over inland seas too.The difference of both observations can be used to estimate vertical crustal movement velocities along the sea coast. In this paper, vertical crustal movement velocities were investigated at tide gauge sites along the Adriatic Sea coast by analyzing differences between Tide Gauge (TG) and Satellite Altimetry (SA) observations. Furthermore, the estimated vertical motion rates were compared with those from nearby GNSS measurements.The study determines the practical relationships between these vertical crustal movements and those determined from unrelated data acquired from the neighbouring GNSS stations. The results show general consistence with the present geodynamics in the Adriatic Sea coastal zone.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 3543
Author(s):  
Marijan Grgić ◽  
Josip Bender ◽  
Tomislav Bašić

Different space-borne geodetic observation methods combined with in-situ measurements enable resolving the single-point vertical land motion (VLM) and/or the VLM of an area. Continuous Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements can solely provide very precise VLM trends at specific sites. VLM area monitoring can be performed by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technology in combination with the GNSS in-situ data. In coastal zones, an effective VLM estimation at tide gauge sites can additionally be derived by comparing the relative sea-level trends computed from tide gauge measurements that are related to the land to which the tide gauges are attached, and absolute trends derived from the radar satellite altimeter data that are independent of the VLM. This study presents the conjoint analysis of VLM of the Dubrovnik area (Croatia) derived from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 InSAR data available from 2014 onwards, continuous GNSS observations at Dubrovnik site obtained from 2000, and differences of the sea-level change obtained from all available satellite altimeter missions for the Dubrovnik area and tide gauge measurements in Dubrovnik from 1992 onwards. The computed VLM estimates for the overlapping period of three observation methods, i.e., from GNSS observations, sea-level differences, and Sentinel-1 InSAR data, are −1.93±0.38 mm/yr, −2.04±0.22 mm/yr, and −2.24±0.46 mm/yr, respectively.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Shaw ◽  
Stephen Chua ◽  
Jedrzej Majewski ◽  
Li Tanghua ◽  
Dhrubajyoti Samanta ◽  
...  

<p>Singapore is a small (728 km<sup>2</sup>) island nation that is vulnerable to rising sea levels with 30% of its land surface area less than 5 m above present sea level. Rising relative sea level (RSL), however, is not uniform with regional RSL changes differing from the global mean due to processes associated with vertical land motion (e.g., glacial-isostatic adjustment) and atmospheric and ocean dynamics. Understanding magnitudes, rates, and driving processes on past and present-day sea level are therefore important to provide greater confidence in accurately quantifying future sea-level rise projections and their uncertainty. Here, we present a synopsis of Singapore’s past and present RSL history using newly developed proxy RSL reconstructions from mangrove peats, coral microatolls and tide gauge data and conclude with probabilistic projections of future RSL change.</p><p>Past RSL is characterized by rapid rise during the early Holocene driven primarily by deglaciation of northern hemisphere ice sheets. Sea-level index points (SLIPs) from mangrove peats show sea levels rose rapidly from -20.7 m at 9.5 ka BP to -0.6 m at 7 ka BP at rates of 6-12 mm/yr. This is substantially greater than predicted magnitudes of RSL change from the ICE-6G_C GIA model which shows RSL increasing from -6.4 m at 9.5 ka BP to a ~2.8 m highstand at ~7 ka BP. SLIPs show the mid-Holocene highstand of ~4 ± 3.6 m at 5.2 ka BP before falling towards present at rates up to -2 mm/yr driven by hydro-isostatic processes. The nature of RSL changes during the mid- to late-Holocene transition remains poorly resolved with evidence of sea levels falling below present level to -2.2 ± 2.0 m at 1.2 ka BP. Present RSL reconstructions from coral microatolls coupled with tide-gauge data extend the limited instrumental period in this region beyond ~50 years. They show RSL rose ~0.03 m from 1915 to 1990 at 0.7 ± 1.4 mm/yr before increasing to 1.5 ± 2.1 mm/yr after 1990 to 2019. Future RSL change from probabilistic projections to 2100 under low (RCP 2.6) and high (RCP 8.5) emission scenarios show sea levels rising 0.43 m (50<sup>th</sup> percentile) (0.06 – 0.96 m; 95% credible interval) and 0.74 m (0.28 – 1.4 m), respectively. However, projected magnitudes of sea-level rise driven by rapid ice sheet dynamics and the unknown contribution of atmospheric and ocean dynamics in Southeast Asia have the potential to exacerbate projection magnitudes.</p>


GeoHazards ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-100
Author(s):  
Phil J. Watson

The potential threats to the USA from current and projected sea level rise are significant, with profound environmental, social and economic consequences. This current study continues the refinement and improvement in analysis techniques for sea level research beyond the Fourth US National Climate Assessment (NCA4) report by incorporating further advancements in the time series analysis of long tide gauge records integrated with an improved vertical land motion (VLM) assessment. This analysis has also been synthesised with an updated regional assessment of satellite altimetry trends in the sea margins fringing the USA. Coastal margins more vulnerable to the threats posed by rising sea levels are those in which subsidence is prevalent, higher satellite altimetry trends are evident and higher ‘geocentric’ velocities in mean sea level are being observed. The evidence from this study highlights key spatial features emerging in 2020, which highlight the northern foreshore of the Gulf Coast and along the east coast of the USA south of the Chesapeake Bay region being more exposed to the range of factors exacerbating threats from sea level rise than other coastlines at present. The findings in this study complement and extend sea level research beyond NCA4 to 2020.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milaa Murshan ◽  
Balaji Devaraju ◽  
Nagarajan Balasubramanian ◽  
Onkar Dikshit

<p>Satellite altimetry provides measurements of sea surface height of centimeter-level accuracy over open oceans. However, its accuracy reduces when approaching the coastal areas and over land regions. Despite this downside, altimetric measurements are still applied successfully in these areas through altimeter retracking processes. This study aims to calibrate and validate retracted sea level data of Envisat, ERS-2, Topex/Poseidon, Jason-1, 2, SARAL/AltiKa, Cryosat-2 altimetric missions near the Indian coastline. We assessed the reliability, quality, and performance of these missions by comparing eight tide gauge (TG) stations along the Indian coast. These are Okha, Mumbai, Karwar, and Cochin stations in the Arabian Sea, and Nagapattinam, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, and Paradip in the Bay of Bengal. To compare the satellite altimetry and TG sea level time series, both datasets are transformed to the same reference datum. Before the calculation of the bias between the altimetry and TG sea level time series, TG data are corrected for Inverted Barometer (IB) and Dynamic Atmospheric Correction (DAC). Since there are no prior VLM measurements in our study area, VLM is calculated from TG records using the same procedure as in the Technical Report NOS organization CO-OPS 065. </p><p>Keywords— Tide gauge, Sea level, North Indian ocean, satellite altimetry, Vertical land motion</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krešimir Ruić ◽  
Jadranka Šepić ◽  
Maja Karlović ◽  
Iva Međugorac

<p>Extreme sea levels are known to hit the Adriatic Sea and to occasionally cause floods that produce severe material damage. Whereas the contribution of longer-period (T > 2 h) sea-level oscillations to the phenomena has been well researched, the contribution of the shorter period (T < 2 h) oscillations is yet to be determined. With this aim, data of 1-min sampling resolution were collected for 20 tide gauges, 10 located at the Italian (north and west) and 10 at the Croatian (east) Adriatic coast. Analyses were done on time series of 3 to 15 years length, with the latest data coming from 2020, and with longer data series available for the Croatian coast. Sea level data were thoroughly checked, and spurious data were removed. </p><p>For each station, extreme sea levels were defined as events during which sea level surpasses its 99.9 percentile value. The contribution of short-period oscillations to extremes was then estimated from corresponding high-frequency (T < 2 h) series. Additionally, for four Croatian tide gauge stations (Rovinj, Bakar, Split, and Dubrovnik), for period of 1956-2004, extreme sea levels were also determined from the hourly sea level time series, with the contribution of short-period oscillations visually estimated from the original tide gauge charts.  </p><p>Spatial and temporal distribution of contribution of short-period sea-level oscillations to the extreme sea level in the Adriatic were estimated. It was shown that short-period sea-level oscillation can significantly contribute to the overall extremes and should be considered when estimating flooding levels. </p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mika Rantanen ◽  
Jani Särkkä ◽  
Jani Räihä ◽  
Matti Kämäräinen ◽  
Kirsti Jylhä

<p>Extremely high sea levels on the Finnish coast are typically caused by close passages of extratropical cyclones (ETCs), which raise the sea level with their associated extreme winds and lower air pressure. For coastal infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants, it is crucial to study physically possible sea level heights associated with ETCs. Such sea levels are not straightforward to determine from observational datasets only, because tide gauge records  cover about 100 years and do not necessarily capture the most extreme cases having return periods longer than 100 years.</p><p>In this study, a method for generating an ensemble of synthetic low-pressure systems is being developed to investigate the extreme sea level heights on the Finnish coast of Baltic sea. As input parameters for the method, the point of origin, velocity of the center of the cyclone and depth of the pressure anomaly need to be given. Based on the input parameters, the method forms an idealized low-pressure system using a two-dimensional Gaussian function. In order to find extreme, but still reasonable values for the input parameters, cyclone tracks from ERA5 reanalysis data will be analysed.</p><p>The ensemble of synthetic low pressure systems (i.e. the wind and pressure data) is used as an input to a numerical sea level model. As a result, we have an ensemble of simulated sea levels, from which we can determine the properties of the ETCs that induce the highest sea levels on a given location on the coast. The preliminary simulation results show that this method works well, forming a basis for studies on extreme sea levels. </p><p> </p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tihana Dević ◽  
Jadranka Šepić ◽  
Darko Koračin

<p>An objective method for tracking pathways of cyclone centres over Europe was developed and applied to the ERA-Interim reanalysis atmospheric data (1979-2014). The method was used to determine trajectories of those Mediterranean cyclones which generated extreme sea levels along the northern and the eastern Adriatic coast during the period from 1979 to 2014. Extreme events were defined as periods during which sea level was above 99.95 percentile value of time series of hourly sea-level data measured at the Venice (northern Adriatic), Split (middle eastern Adriatic) and Dubrovnik (south-eastern Adriatic) tide-gauge stations. The cyclone pathways were tracked backwards from the moment closest to the moment of maximum sea level up to the cyclone origin time, or at most, up to 72 hours prior the occurrence of the sea-level maximum.</p><p>Our results point out that extreme sea levels in Venice normally appear during synoptic situations in which a cyclone centre is located to the south-west and north-west of Venice, i.e., when it can be found over the Gulf of Genoa, or the Alps. On the contrary, extreme sea levels in Dubrovnik are usually associates with cyclone centres above the middle Adriatic, whereas floods in Split seem to appear during both above-described types of situations.</p><p>Occurrence times and intensity of cyclones and extreme sea-levels was further associated with the NAO index. It has been shown that the deepest cyclones and corresponding extreme floods tend to occur during the negative NAO phase.   </p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 1067-1086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Colberg ◽  
Kathleen L. McInnes ◽  
Julian O'Grady ◽  
Ron Hoeke

Abstract. Projections of sea level rise (SLR) will lead to increasing coastal impacts during extreme sea level events globally; however, there is significant uncertainty around short-term coastal sea level variability and the attendant frequency and severity of extreme sea level events. In this study, we investigate drivers of coastal sea level variability (including extremes) around Australia by means of historical conditions as well as future changes under a high greenhouse gas emissions scenario (RCP 8.5). To do this, a multi-decade hindcast simulation is validated against tide gauge data. The role of tide–surge interaction is assessed and found to have negligible effects on storm surge characteristic heights over most of the coastline. For future projections, 20-year-long simulations are carried out over the time periods 1981–1999 and 2081–2099 using atmospheric forcing from four CMIP5 climate models. Changes in extreme sea levels are apparent, but there are large inter-model differences. On the southern mainland coast all models simulated a southward movement of the subtropical ridge which led to a small reduction in sea level extremes in the hydrodynamic simulations. Sea level changes over the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north are largest and positive during austral summer in two out of the four models. In these models, changes to the northwest monsoon appear to be the cause of the sea level response. These simulations highlight a sensitivity of this semi-enclosed gulf to changes in large-scale dynamics in this region and indicate that further assessment of the potential changes to the northwest monsoon in a larger multi-model ensemble should be investigated, together with the northwest monsoon's effect on extreme sea levels.


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