Sea level variations in the regional seas around Taiwan |
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Authors: | Yu-Heng Tseng Larry C Breaker Emmy T -Y Chang |
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Institution: | 1.Department of Atmospheric Sciences,National Taiwan University,Taipei,Taiwan;2.Moss Landing Marine Laboratories,Moss Landing,USA;3.Institute of Oceanography,National Taiwan University,Taipei,Taiwan |
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Abstract: | The patterns and trends of sea level rise in the regional seas around Taiwan have been investigated through the analyses of
long-term tide-gauge and satellite altimetry data. Series of tide-gauge data extending over 50 years reveal decadal and interannual
variations and spatially-inhomogeneous patterns of generally rising sea level. The East Asia tide-gauge stations around Taiwan
show an average trend of +2.4 mm/yr from 1961–2003, which is larger than the reported global rate of +1.8 mm/yr for the same
period. These stations also show significantly larger sea level rise rates (+5.7 mm/yr) than global values (+3.1 mm/yr) during
the period from 1993–2003. Consistent with the coastal tide-gauge records, satellite altimetry data show similar increasing
rates (+5.3 mm/yr) around Taiwan during the same period. Comparisons with temperature anomalies in the upper ocean suggest
that thermal expansion and heat advection in the upper layer contribute significantly to the long-term sea level variations
in this area with correlations >0.9 for observations after 1992. Thermosteric sea level variations may also explain the interannual
and decadal variations of the observed sea level rises around Taiwan. Our analysis also indicates that the altimetry data
are only part of a long-term, larger-scale signal. Finally, we have found that a non-linear smoother, LOESS, is more suitable
for extracting long-term trends in sea level than the traditional linear regression approach. |
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