An estimate of the sea level trend along the Tunisia coasts

This study evaluates the sea level trend along the Tunisia coasts based on available historical and recent tide gauge observations for the period 1880-2018. The stations used are located in the Tunisia coasts and in the western side of the Strait of Gibraltar. Sea level series based on reanalyses an...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jabnoun, Rihem, Harzallah, Ali
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1834/41476
Description
Summary:This study evaluates the sea level trend along the Tunisia coasts based on available historical and recent tide gauge observations for the period 1880-2018. The stations used are located in the Tunisia coasts and in the western side of the Strait of Gibraltar. Sea level series based on reanalyses and Mediterranean Sea model simulations are also used. First, a single series representing the western Strait of Gibraltar sea level evolution is constructed. Then, the sea level series along the Tunisia coasts is constructed based on the hypothesis that the observed sea level drop relative to that in the western side of the Strait of Gibraltar remains nearly unchanged when long term periods are considered. The constructed series for the Tunisia coasts shows an evident sea level rise superimposed on a decadal variability in connection with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). For the whole period, the estimated sea level trend is +1.5 mm/year, whereas it is +3mm/y for the recent period 1980- 2015. In addition to the widely accepted of the sea level rise acceleration during the recent decades, this higher trend may also be attributed to the effect of the decadal variability. Projections for the future state of the sea level along the Tunisia coasts are given based on the trend estimates found in this study. Cette étude évalue la variation du niveau de la mer le long des côtes tunisiennes sur la base d'observations historiques et récentes de marégraphes installés sur les côtes tunisiennes et celles du côté ouest du détroit de Gibraltar pour la période 1880-2018. Des séries du niveau de la mer basées sur des réanalyses et des simulations de modèles de la mer Méditerranée sont également utilisées. Tout d'abord, une seule série représentative de la région à l’ouest du détroit de Gibraltar est construite. Ensuite, la série du niveau de la mer le long des côtes tunisiennes est construite sur la base de l'hypothèse que la baisse du niveau de la mer observée par rapport à celle du côté ouest du détroit de Gibraltar reste ...