The tilt of mean sea level along the east coast of North America

Higginson, Simon; Thompson, Keith R.; Woodworth, Philip L.; Hughes, Chris W.

doi:10.1002/2015gl063186

Cited by 37 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…There is a large spatial change in CSL of ∼15 cm within the SAB (south of 36°N) when the GS flows close to shore, but little change in the northern half of the domain, in agreement with geoid models (see Fig. 1b in Higginson et al 2015). Note also that the model results show some southward propagation of signals in the SAB (28°N-34°N and days 45-50; Fig.…”

Section: Numerical Model Setupsupporting

confidence: 82%

“…For many years, this downward tilt in sea level as one moves north along the coast has been a topic of controversy and disagreement between geodesists and oceanographers (Sturges 1974). While the direction of the along-shore tilt (downward northward) in our relatively simple model generally agrees with the results from observations and other models (Higginson et al 2015), there are some differences.…”

Section: Numerical Model Setupsupporting

confidence: 58%

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Can the Gulf Stream induce coherent short-term fluctuations in sea level along the US East Coast? A modeling study

Ezer

2016

Ocean Dynamics

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Much attention has been given in recent years to observations and models that show that variations in the transport of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and in the Gulf Stream (GS) can contribute to interannual, decadal, and multi-decadal variations in coastal sea level (CSL) along the US East Coast. However, less is known about the impact of short-term (time scales of days to weeks) fluctuations in the GS and their impact on CSL anomalies. Some observations suggest that these anomalies can cause unpredictable minor tidal flooding in low-lying areas when the GS suddenly weakens. Can these short-term CSL variations be attributed to changes in the transport of the GS? An idealized numerical model of the GS has been set up to test this proposition. The regional model uses a 1/12°grid with a simplified coastline to eliminate impacts from estuaries and small-scale coastal features and thus isolate the GS impact. The GS in the model is driven by inflows/outflows, representing the Florida Current (FC), the Slope Current (SC), and the Sargasso Sea (SS) flows. Forcing the model with an oscillatory FC transport with a period of 2, 5, and 10 days produced coherent CSL variations from Florida to the Gulf of Maine with similar periods. However, when imposing variations in the transports of the SC or the SS, they induce CSL variations only north of Cape Hatteras. The suggested mechanism is that variations in GS transport produce variations in sea level gradient across the entire GS length and this large-scale signal is then transmitted into the shelf by the generation of coastal-trapped waves (CTW). In this idealized model, the CSL variations induced by variations of ∼10 Sv in the transport of the GS are found to resemble CSL variations induced by ∼5 m s −1 zonal wind fluctuations, though the mechanisms of wind-driven and GS-driven sea level are quite different. Better understanding of the relation between variations in offshore currents and CSL will help to improve the prediction of both short-term water level anomalies that cause flooding, as well as spatial variations in long-term sea level variability and coastal sea level rise.

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Section: Numerical Model Setupsupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Numerical Model Setupsupporting

confidence: 58%

Can the Gulf Stream induce coherent short-term fluctuations in sea level along the US East Coast? A modeling study

Ezer

2016

Ocean Dynamics

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“…Such studies for the UK have confirmed that there is very little real MSL difference from north to south (e.g., see early studies of this topic by Ashkenazi et al 1994), and that the apparent latitudinal variation in MSL, relative to ODN, had been due to the ODN levelling errors (Penna et al 2013). Similar studies in Australia and North America have also resolved their anomalous historical sea level slopes (Featherstone and Filmer 2012;Higginson et al 2015). …”

Section: Spatial Variation Of Uk Mslsupporting

confidence: 60%

A Century of Sea Level Measurements at Newlyn, Southwest England

et al. 2015

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The Newlyn Tidal Observatory is the most important sea level station in the United Kingdom. It commenced operations in 1915 as part of the Second Geodetic Levelling of England and Wales, and the mean sea level determined from the tide gauge during the first six years (May 1915-April 1921 defined Ordnance Datum Newlyn (ODN) which became the national height datum for the whole of Great Britain. The 100 years of sea level data now available have contributed significantly to many studies in oceanography, geology, and climate change. This paper marks the centenary of this important station by reviewing the sea level (and, more recently, detailed land level) measurements and Newlyn's contributions to UK cartography, geodesy and sea-level science in general. Recommendations are made on how sea and land level measurements at Newlyn might be enhanced.

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“…For them to yield meaningful projections of future coastal sea level change, models must be able to represent processes at the boundaries and capture the coupling between sea level over the deep ocean and the shallow shelf (cf. Higginson et al 2015;Hughes et al 2015;Saba et al 2016). To that end, understanding the reasons for the dispersion in model performance (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Annual Sea Level Changes on the North American Northeast Coast: Influence of Local Winds and Barotropic Motions

et al. 2016

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Understanding the relationship between coastal sea level and the variable ocean circulation is crucial for interpreting tide gauge records and projecting sea level rise. In this study, annual sea level records (adjusted for the inverted barometer effect) from tide gauges along the North American northeast coast over 1980-2010 are compared to a set of data-assimilating ocean reanalysis products as well as a global barotropic model solution forced with wind stress and barometric pressure. Correspondence between models and data depends strongly on model and location. At sites north of Cape Hatteras, the barotropic model shows as much (if not more) skill than ocean reanalyses, explaining about 50% of the variance in the adjusted annual tide gauge sea level records. Additional numerical experiments show that annual sea level changes along this coast from the barotropic model are driven by local wind stress over the continental shelf and slope. This result is interpreted in the light of a simple dynamic framework, wherein bottom friction balances surface wind stress in the alongshore direction and geostrophy holds in the across-shore direction. Results highlight the importance of barotropic dynamics on coastal sea level changes on interannual and decadal time scales; they also have implications for diagnosing the uncertainties in current ocean reanalyses, using tide gauge records to infer past changes in ocean circulation, and identifying the physical mechanisms responsible for projected future regional sea level rise.

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The tilt of mean sea level along the east coast of North America

Cited by 37 publications

References 52 publications

Can the Gulf Stream induce coherent short-term fluctuations in sea level along the US East Coast? A modeling study

Can the Gulf Stream induce coherent short-term fluctuations in sea level along the US East Coast? A modeling study

A Century of Sea Level Measurements at Newlyn, Southwest England

Annual Sea Level Changes on the North American Northeast Coast: Influence of Local Winds and Barotropic Motions

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