Sea level change and beach process — A case study in south Zhejiang beach -

This paper describes changes in sea level off the coast of China in history and at present. The evidence concerning low sea level during the last glacial phase, Holocene marine transgression which was discovered from sea bottom in East China Sea and China's bordering seas, and their adjacent coastal areas, where, by drilling, relic sediment, peat deposite, and mollusc shell fossils have been obtained, and their dates are deduced through measurement of radiocarbon (C¹⁴), identified that low sea level about 15000 years ago stood in the depth of 150 m below the present level in East China Sea, and that the subsequent transgression carried the sea up to the present sea level 6000 years ago, when the present China's coast and other continent's coasts were outlined. Due to a number of factors, the sea level oscillates seasonally in the border sea of China. Averagely speaking, the annual range of the seasonal changes in sea level is about 35 m off the south Zhejiang coast, where the highest value of 20 cm occurs in September, and the lowest of-15 cm occurs in March. The reason may be mainly due to the seasonal variations of climate and river run-off, as well as the Taiwan Warm Current. Similar seasonal oscillations in sea level also occur in Bohai Gulf, Yellow Sea, East China Sea and the South China Sea. The beach process of south Zhejiang is strongly affected by the seasonal oscillations in sea level. The width of beach is 4 to 6 km, the slope is approximately in 1 : 1000. If the sea level rises or falls 1 cm, the beach submergence or emergence is led to be about 10 m in width. As a result, the relative equilibrium of beach will be changed by the seasonal oscillations in sea level.     

Low-Frequency Variations of the North Atlantic Sea Level Measured by TOPEX/Poseidon Altimetry

Eight years of sea surface height data derived from the TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter, are analyzed in order to identify long- and a-periodic behavior of the North Atlantic sea level. For easy interpolation, sea surface height data are converted into sea surface topography data using the geoid derived from EGM96 to degree 360. Principal Component Analysis is used to identify the most dominant spatial and temporal variations. In order to separate dominant periodic signals, a yearly and a half-yearly oscillation, as well as alias effects from imperfect ocean tide corrections, are estimated independently by a Harmonic Analysis and subtracted. The residuals are smoothed by a 90-day moving average filter and examined once again by a PCA, which identifies a low-frequency variation with a period of approximately 6–7 years and an amplitude of about 1 dm, as well as a large sea level change of partially more than ±1 dm within only few months. This sea level change can also be seen in yearly and seasonal sea level residuals. Furthermore, the analysis shows a significant sea level change in 1998 occurring almost over the whole North Atlantic, which is not clearly identified by the PCA. Similar results are obtained by analyzing sea surface temperature and sea level pressure data.     

Anomalous change of the Antarctic sea ice and global sea level change

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Low-Frequency Variations of the North Atlantic Sea Level Measured by TOPEX/Poseidon Altimetry

Eight years of sea surface height data derived from the TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter, are analyzed in order to identify long- and a-periodic behavior of the North Atlantic sea level. For easy interpolation, sea surface height data are converted into sea surface topography data using the geoid derived from EGM96 to degree 360. Principal Component Analysis is used to identify the most dominant spatial and temporal variations. In order to separate dominant periodic signals, a yearly and a half-yearly oscillation, as well as alias effects from imperfect ocean tide corrections, are estimated independently by a Harmonic Analysis and subtracted. The residuals are smoothed by a 90-day moving average filter and examined once again by a PCA, which identifies a low-frequency variation with a period of approximately 6-7 years and an amplitude of about 1 dm, as well as a large sea level change of partially more than ±1 dm within only few months. This sea level change can also be seen in yearly and seasonal sea level residuals. Furthermore, the analysis shows a significant sea level change in 1998 occurring almost over the whole North Atlantic, which is not clearly identified by the PCA. Similar results are obtained by analyzing sea surface temperature and sea level pressure data.     

Geostrophic balance of the Kuroshio as inferred from surface current and sea level observations

Historical observations of the surface current and daily mean sea level during the period 1965–1985 are analyzed in order to examine the geostrophic balance of the Kuroshio current in the Tokara Strait and near the Izu Islands. The variation in the sea level difference across the Kuroshio is associated with a variation in surface current velocity as predicted by the theory of geostrophic balance. However, the slope of the linear relation between the current velocity and sea level difference is smaller than the theoretically predicted value by about 30%. This disagreement may be ascribed to the effects of the centrifugal force and the occasional rise in sea level due to storm surges.Absolute mean sea level differences between the tidal stations are estimated by making use of the empirical relationship between the surface current and sea level difference. Estimated differences are: 87.4±22.1 cm between Naze and Nishinoomote, 24.3±9.2 cm between Miyake and Minamiizu, 41.3±17.7 cm between Miyake and Mera and 45.1±8.8 cm between Hachijyo and Miyake. The absolute value of sea level difference between Miyake and Minamiizu and that between Miyake and Mera may be about 30 cm, since geodetic levelling tells us that the mean sea level at Minamiizu is nearly equal to that at Mera.     

太平洋海平面变化特征及影响因素分析

采用经验模态分解法对太平洋沿岸验潮站的月平均海平面资料进行处理,结合T/P高度计资料、Church(2004)重构SSH资料、Ishii(2005)月均海温资料,研究太平洋海平面年际、年代际变化以及资料长度内海平面变化趋势。太平洋沿岸海平面总体呈上升趋势,平均上升速率为1.4 mm/a,趋势项分布有明显的区域性和纬度特征。ENSO对太平洋地区海平面年际变化有显著影响,海平面年际变化与Nino3指数在西(东)太平洋为负(正)相关,海平面年际变化与Nino3指数的相关性在热带太平洋最大,并随着纬度升高相关性减弱,且不同地区年际变化有滞后ENSO时间不等的最大相关。海平面年际变化与PDO指数在西(东)太平洋为负(正)相关,海平面与PDO的相关性分布有区域性和随时间演变特征。年代际变化对目前使用卫星高度计资料分析海平面长期趋势项的预测有直接影响,可能完全掩盖海平面长期变化趋势。     

西北太平洋中国沿海海面倾斜及其机理初探

海面倾斜与高程基准密切相关,它已经受到大地测量学界和海洋学界的重视.进一步讨论了大地水准的测量精度,指出了大地(几何)水准与沿海验潮资料的不符是由于海面的倾斜;分析了海面倾斜的机理,其中包括海流、海水密度分布、气压、台风引起的破碎波等的作用;提出了用海水异常密度的三维分布计算大地水准面的扰动,实质上它反映了海面的倾斜,该量占大地水准测量结果的73%,这进一步说明密度的异常乃是我国沿海海面倾斜的主要原因.     

中国海和泰国湾海域海平面的经向涛动

卫星高度计遥感海面高度距平资料(1992-2012年)的分析结果证实中国海(渤、黄、东海及南海)和泰国湾作为一个半封闭的狭长水域,其海平面存在显著的南北经向涛动。涛动呈现明显的季节性,冬季南高北低,夏季北高南低,以渤海和泰国湾的海平面高差作为涛动的测度,其多年平均波动幅度达63cm,较差超过80cm。时间序列分析显示,在季节尺度上这一涛动几乎完全受东亚季风的支配,表明东亚季风的局地强迫是造成季节涛动的主要原因。进一步的分析发现,除季节波动之外研究海域海平面的经向涛动还存在明显的年际变化。不过,与季节尺度的波动有所不同,经向涛动的年际变化不仅是东亚季风区局地作用的结果,而且与太平洋海盆尺度的大气强迫有关,其作用与季风在同一数量级。涛动的年际变化大致滞后各气候因子两个月。采用多输入线性模型做偏相关分析筛选的结果显示,除东亚季风指数之外,研究海域的海平面涛动指数主要与太平洋的南方涛动指数(SOI)和西太平洋遥相关指数(WP)相关。这表明外部强迫既来自热带,也来自中纬度。南方涛动所导致的赤道海域海平面的东西向年际涛动,以及中纬度西风急流年际波动对西北太平洋海平面的作用,都有可能导致研究海域海平面经向涛动的年际变化,其机制有待进一步探讨。     

西沙周边海域海平面异常变化特征及成因分析

Based on the analysis of wind,ocean currents,sea surface temperature(SST) and remote sensing satellite altimeter data,the characteristics and possible causes of sea level anomalies in the Xisha sea area are investigated.The main results are shown as follows:(1) Since 1993,the sea level in the Xisha sea area was obviously higher than normal in 1998,2001,2008,2010 and 2013.Especially,the sea level in 1998 and 2010 was abnormally high,and the sea level in 2010 was 13.2 cm higher than the muti-year mean,which was the highest in the history.In 2010,the sea level in the Xisha sea area had risen 43 cm from June to August,with the strength twice the annual variation range.(2) The sea level in the Xisha sea area was not only affected by the tidal force of the celestial bodies,but also closely related to the quasi 2 a periodic oscillation of tropical western Pacific monsoon and ENSO events.(3)There was a significant negative correlation between sea level in the Xisha sea area and ENSO events.The high sea level anomaly all happened during the developing phase of La Ni?a.They also show significant negative correlations with Ni?o 4 and Ni?o 3.4 indices,and the lag correlation coefficients for 2 months and 3 months are–0.46 and –0.45,respectively.(4) During the early La Ni?a event form June to November in 2010,the anomalous wind field was cyclonic.A strong clockwise vortex was formed for the current in 25 m layer in the Xisha sea area,and the velocity of the current is close to the speed of the Kuroshio near the Luzon Strait.In normal years,there is a "cool eddy".While in 2010,from July to August,the SST in the area was 2–3°C higher than that of the same period in the history.     

冬季山东南部沿海水温10—20天的周期性振动

使用谱分析和数字滤波等方法,对山东南部沿海冬季的日平均水温、水位、海平面气压和风场等历史资料(1973—1983)做了分析。结果发现,这里的水温和水位存在10—20天的振动,这种振动与同期气压场和沿岸风的振动相同,陆架水温和水位的这种天气尺度振动恰好是对冬季风强迫的响应。为证明这一物理过程,设计了一个简单的线性理论模式,并用Laplace变换获得了其解析解,证明了上述响应的物理机制。     

联合卫星测高和卫星重力数据研究热容海平面变化

首先用卫星测高资料计算了1993～2009年6月的全球平均海平面变化。用GRACE(gravity recovery andclimate experiment)时变重力场系数反演了2003～2009年6月全球平均海水质量变化。联合GRACE和卫星测高资料计算了2003～2009年6月的热容海平面变化,该变化呈上升趋势。用日本气象局Ishii等提供的海温数据计算了1993～2006年的海水引起的平均热膨胀海平面变化,1993～2003年间,全球海洋热膨胀引起的热容海平面呈上升趋势,约占同期平均海平面变化的一半。利用ARGO温盐数据计算了2004～2009年6月平均热容海平面变化,也呈上升态势,只是变化速率有所减慢。     

Summer Monsoon and Annual Variability of Sea Surface Slope and Their Effects on Alongshore Current near Qingdao

Based on the monthly mean sea level data obtained from 3 years‘ (1999--2001) tide-gauge measurements, the annual variability of the sea level near Qingdao and Jiaozhou Bay is studied and discussed in this paper. Results show that the sea surface height at all the tide gauges becomes higher in summer than that in winter,with an obvious seasonal variability. Furthermore the sea surface height measured at a short distance outside the bay is lower than that in the bay, showing a sea surface slope downward from north to south. The reasons for the formation of the slope are explained as well. The dynamic action of the summer monsoon and the sea surface slope, and their effects on the monthly mean current are studied by means of dynamics principles. The importance of the summer monsoon and the pressure gradient generated by the sea surface slope, with their effects on the alongshore current, is pointed out and emphasized in this paper.     

青岛附近夏季风和海面坡度对沿岸流的影响

根据1999—2001年月平均海面高度资料讨论了青岛和胶州湾附近海面高度的年变化。结果表明：各验潮点夏季的海面高度普遍高于冬季的海面高度,具有明显的季节变化。此外,夏季胶州湾口外的海面高度低于胶州湾内的海面高度,表现为由北向南下倾的海面坡度。同时说明了形成这利海面坡度的原因。文章还利用动力学原理探讨了夏季风和海面坡度的动力作用,及其对月平均海流的影响,强调指出了夏季风和海面坡度所产生的压强梯度力的重要性。     

全新世海面变化与盐阜平原地理空间结构的演变

盐阜平原地处苏北平原东部.全新世以来,由于海面变化使本区地理空间结构经历了三个阶段的演化:早全新世,海面上升,本区成为浅海环境,空间结构较为单一.中全新世,海面稳定,古砂堤发育,砂堤两侧形成了泻湖与浅海的二元结构,其西侧的里下河区成为封闭的泻湖,而东部仍以浅海为主.晚全新世,海面下降,本区完成了由海到陆的演变过程,形成了盐阜平原地理空间三元结构的格局:北部为黄淮平原的一部分;西部里下河地区湖泊沼泽面积不断缩小,演变为里下河平原;而东部海岸东迁,形成广袤的滨海平原.     

中国东海和南黄海沿海平原MIS 3晚期海侵层的动力模拟研究

Abundant evidences of higher sea levels from Jiangsu and Fujian coasts have proved a marine transgression event during 30–40 ka BP, suggesting that there was a stage with high sea level and a warm climate when ice sheets shrank in the Northern Hemisphere. The duration of 30–40 ka BP spanned a period in the late Marine Isotope Stage 3(MIS 3) and was in nature an interstadial epoch during the Last Glacial period of the Quaternary. Different from the glacial period with a cold climate, this marine transgression considered as a penultimate higher sea level during the Quaternary remains a puzzle that why the evidence is contrary to the Quaternary glacial theory. It is important to understand sea level rise for these areas sensitively responding to the global changes in the future. To recognize the key issues on sea level changes, the eustatic sea level(H_S) was defined as the glaciation-climateforced sea levels, and the relative sea level change(H_R) was defined as that a sea level record was preserved in sediment that experienced multiple secondary actions of land and sea effects. On the basis as defined above, we constructed multi-level models of climate-driven glacio-eustatic changes and land-sea systems. By integrating data sets from eight borehole cores and prescribing the boundary conditions, we simulated the changes of HS and HR in the East China Sea and southern Yellow Sea areas in the late MIS 3. The marine transgression strata from the borehole core data was identified at ca. 30 m below present sea level as a result of the collective influence of ice melting water, neotectonic subsidence, sediment compaction and terrestrial sediment filling since ca. 35 ka ago,whereas the simulated relative sea-levels turned out to be –26.3––29.9 m a.s.l. The small error involved in the simulation results of ±(2.5–4.5) m demonstrated the credibility of the results. Our results indicated that sea level change in the late MIS 3 was dominated by glacial effects, in which the eustatic sea-level was between –19.2––22.1m a.s.l. The study sheds light on the nature of sea-level changes along the east coast of China in the late MIS 3 and contributes to understanding the characteristics of marine transgression under the effects of multiple complex land-sea interactions.     

Projected sea level rise in Florida

Future sea level rise will lead to salt water intrusion, beach/dune recession, and many other coastal problems. This paper addresses a data based forecasting approach to provide relative sea level rise estimates at locations in Florida where historical water level data exist. Many past estimates of sea level rise have treated the rise as a linear straight line trend over the historical data set. The present paper has allowed for acceleration (or deceleration) in sea level rise to account for the possibility of anthropogenic global warming and consequent higher (than linear straight line) future sea levels similar to values noted by global climatic modelers. Results of the present analysis show sea level rise for Florida being higher than past straight line trend results.     

辽河三角洲地区海平面上升趋势及其影响评估

根据潮位资料分析,辽河三角洲平原和辽东湾东岸近四五十年来相对海平面处于上升趋势,从70年代以来平均每年上升量为5mm左右.考虑到辽河三角洲平原地面下沉以及全球性海平面将加速上升,预计下个世纪内,辽河三角洲平原相对海平面上升的速率将达到8-10mm/a,到2050年相对海平面上升量将达到40～55cm.利用遥感和地理信息系统,对不同的海平面上升量将造成的土地淹没损失进行了预测.如不加防护,相对海平面上升0.5m时,将淹没近4000km2,包括整个营口市区和半个盘锦市区;上升1.0m时,将淹没5000km2.对海平面上升将造成海岸侵蚀、风暴潮和洪涝等灾害加剧等影响也进行了分析.     

Variability of Sea Surface Heights in the Baltic Sea: An Intercomparison of Observations and Model Simulations

Sea level changes in the Baltic Sea are dominated by internal, short-term variations that are mostly caused by the ephemeral nature of atmospheric conditions over the Baltic area. Tides are small and their influence decreases from western parts of the Baltic Sea to the Baltic Proper. Superimposed to the large short-term sea level changes (up to few decimeters from day to day) are seasonal and interannual variations (centimeters to decimeters). This study focuses on the comparison of sea surface heights obtained from observations and from a high resolution oceanographic model of the Baltic Sea. From this comparison, the accuracy of the modeled sea surface variations is evaluated, which is a necessary precondition for the further use of the oceanographic model in geodetic applications. The model reproduces all observed Baltic sea level variations very reliably with an accuracy of 5 to 9 cm (rms) for short-term variations (up to 2 months) and 8 cm (rms) for long-term variations (>2 months). An additional improvement of the model can be attained by including long-period sea level variations of the North Sea. The model performs well also in the case of extreme sea level events, as is shown for a major storm surge that occurred at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in November 1995.     

Sea level fluctuations in central California at subtidal to decadal and longer time scales with implications for San Francisco Bay, California

Sea level elevations from near the mouth of San Francisco Bay are used to describe the low-frequency variability of forcing of the coastal ocean on the Bay at a variety of temporal scales. About 90% of subtidal fluctuations in sea level in San Francisco Bay are driven by the sea level variations in the coastal ocean that propagate into the Bay at the estuary mouth. We use the 100-year sea level record available at San Francisco to document a 1.9 mm/yr mean sea level rise, and to determine fluctuations related to El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and other climatic events. At time scales greater than 1 year, ENSO dominates the sea level signal and can result in fluctuations in sea level of 10–15 cm. Alongshore wind stress data from central California are also analyzed to determine the impact of changes in coastal elevation at the mouth of San Francisco Bay within the synoptic wind band of 2–30 days. At least 40% of the subtidal fluctuations in sea level of the Bay are tied to the large-scale regional wind field affecting sea level variations in the coastal ocean, with little local, direct wind forcing of the Bay itself. The majority of the subtidal sea level fluctuations within the Bay that are not related to the coastal ocean sea level signal are forced by an east–west sea level gradient resulting from tidally induced variations in sea level at specific beat frequencies that are enhanced in the northern reach of the Bay. River discharge into the Bay through the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Delta also contributes to the east–west gradient, but to a lesser degree.     

Subtidal sea level and current variations in the northern reach of San Francisco Bay

Analyses of sea level and current-meter data using digital filters and a variety of statistical methods show a variety of phenomena related to non-local coastal forcing and local tidal forcing in the northern reach of San Francisco Bay, a partially mixed estuary. Low-frequency variations in sea level are dominated by non-local variations in coastal sea level and also show a smaller influence from tidally induced fortnightly sea level variations. Low-frequency currents demonstrate a gravitational circulation which is modified by changes in tidal-current speed over the spring-neap tidal cycle. Transients in gravitational circulation induce internal oscillations with periods of two to four days.