Sea level trend and variability around Peninsular Malaysia

Abstract

Abstract. Sea level rise due to climate change is nonuniform globally, necessitating regional estimates. Peninsular Malaysia is located in the middle of Southeast Asia, bounded from the west by the Malacca Strait, from the east by the South China Sea (SCS), and from the south by the Singapore Strait. The sea level along the peninsula may be influenced by various regional phenomena native to the adjacent parts of the Indian and Pacific oceans. To examine the variability and trend of sea level around the peninsula, tide gauge records and satellite altimetry are analyzed taking into account vertical land movements (VLMs). At annual scale, sea level anomalies (SLAs) around Peninsular Malaysia on the order of 5-25 cm are mainly monsoon driven. Sea levels at eastern and western coasts respond differently to the Asian monsoon: two peaks per year in the Malacca Strait due to South Asian-Indian monsoon; an annual cycle in the remaining region mostly due to the East Asian-western Pacific monsoon. At interannual scale, regional sea level variability in the range of ±6 cm is correlated with El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). SLAs in the Malacca Strait side are further correlated with the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) in the range of ± 5 cm. Interannual regional sea level falls are associated with El Niño events and positive phases of IOD, whilst rises are correlated with La Niña episodes and negative values of the IOD index. At seasonal to interannual scales, we observe the separation of the sea level patterns in the Singapore Strait, between the Raffles Lighthouse and Tanjong Pagar tide stations, likely caused by a dynamic constriction in the narrowest part.During the observation period 1986-2013, average relative rates of sea level rise derived from tide gauges in Malacca Strait and along the east coast of the peninsula are 3.6 ± 1.6 and 3.7 ± 1.1 mm yr −1 , respectively. Correcting for respective VLMs (0.8 ± 2.6 and 0.9 ± 2.2 mm yr −1 ), their corresponding geocentric sea level rise rates are estimated at 4.4 ± 3.1 and 4.6 ± 2.5 mm yr −1 . The geocentric rates are about 25 % faster than those measured at tide gauges around the peninsula; however, the level of uncertainty associated with VLM data is relatively high. For the common period between 1993 and 2009, geocentric sea level rise values along the Malaysian coast are similar from tide gauge records and satellite altimetry (3.1 and 2.7 mm yr −1 , respectively), and arguably correspond to the global trend.

Study of Sea Level Rise Using Satellite Altimetry Data in the Sea of Dumai, Riau, Indonesia

“…The influence from the seasonal anomaly of sea level in the Malacca Strait was suspected. The phenomenon of the seasonal anomaly of sea level in the Malacca Strait has been explained by Luu et al (2015). The complexity of the pattern is arguably due to competition between seasonal wind from the South China Sea, and wind stress locally established over the Andaman Sea and directed toward the Malacca Strait.…”

“…Quite importantly, this technique provided access to the geographical variations of the sea level changes which might certainly not be uniform over the basin (Cazenave, 2002). Sea level rise due to climate change was globally non uniform, necessitating regional estimates (Luu, Tkalich, & Tay, 2015). While tide gauge sea level measurements could show apparent sea level trends due to bias and drift in the instrument as well to a change in the reference point and land motion (Cazenave, 2002).…”

“…The sea level along the peninsula might be influenced by Malacca Strait. Luu et al (2015) reported that SLAs in the Malacca Strait side was further correlated in the range of ± 5 cm with the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). Interannual regional sea level falls are associated with El Nino events and positive phases of IOD, whilst rises are correlated with lanina episodes and negative values of the IOD index.…”

Comparison of Classification Techniques on Fused Optical and SAR Images for Shoreline Extraction: A Case Study at Northeast Coast of Peninsular Malaysia

“…This area is chosen because of projected of Sea Level Rise (SLR) for the year 2100 is 5.2 to 5.7 mm/year which is the highest at the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia and among the highest in Peninsular Malaysia (Awang and Hamid, 2013). Moreover, for broader climate, during (boreal) winter of the East Asian-Western Pacific monsoon, the northeast wind causes a sea level surge in the Gulf of Thailand and along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia (Luu et al, 2015;Hague, 2015). …”

“…In the coastal area, it is considered to be one of the most dynamic regions because it is mainly attributed to the natural Earth phenomena such as tide effect, wind speed, wind direction, sea level rise, natural disaster and anthropogenic processes (Mustaqim et al, 2014;Luu et al, 2015;Li, et al, 2002). Some parts of the shoreline are broken and need to be re-extract after the occurrence of natural disasters such as tsunamis and earthquakes (Al Fugura et al, 2011).…”