Mediterranean Sea Mean Sea Level time series and trend from Observations Reprocessing

'''DEFINITION'''

The sea level ocean monitoring indicator has been presented in the Copernicus Ocean State Report #8. The ocean monitoring indicator of regional mean sea level is derived from the DUACS delayed-time (DT-2024 version, “my” (multi-year) dataset used when available) sea level anomaly maps from satellite altimetry based on a stable number of altimeters (two) in the satellite constellation. These products are distributed by the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the Copernicus Marine Service (SEALEVEL_GLO_PHY_CLIMATE_L4_MY_008_057). 

The time series of area averaged anomalies correspond to the area average of the maps in the Mediterranean Sea weighted by the cosine of the latitude (to consider the changing area in each grid with latitude) and by the proportion of ocean in each grid (to consider the coastal areas). The time series are corrected from regional mean GIA correction (weighted GIA mean of a 27 ensemble model following Spada et Melini, 2019). The time series are adjusted for seasonal annual and semi-annual signals and low-pass filtered at 6 months. Then, the trends/accelerations are estimated on the time series using ordinary least square fit.The trend uncertainty is provided in a 90% confidence interval. It is calculated as the weighted mean uncertainties in the region from Prandi et al., 2021. This estimate only considers errors related to the altimeter observation system (i.e., orbit determination errors, geophysical correction errors and inter-mission bias correction errors). The presence of the interannual signal can strongly influence the trend estimation considering to the period considered (Wang et al., 2021; Cazenave et al., 2014). The uncertainty linked to this effect is not considered. 

""CONTEXT"" 

Change in mean sea level is an essential indicator of our evolving climate, as it reflects both the thermal expansion of the ocean in response to its warming and the increase in ocean mass due to the melting of ice sheets and glaciers (WCRP Global Sea Level Budget Group, 2018). At regional scale, sea level does not change homogenously. It is influenced by various other processes, with different spatial and temporal scales, such as local ocean dynamic, atmospheric forcing, Earth gravity and vertical land motion changes (IPCC WGI, 2021). The adverse effects of floods, storms and tropical cyclones, and the resulting losses and damage, have increased as a result of rising sea levels, increasing people and infrastructure vulnerability and food security risks, particularly in low-lying areas and island states (IPCC, 2022a). Adaptation and mitigation measures such as the restoration of mangroves and coastal wetlands, reduce the risks from sea level rise (IPCC, 2022b).  

Beside a clear long-term trend, the regional mean sea level variation in the Mediterranean Sea shows an important interannual variability, with a high trend observed between 1993 and 1999 (nearly 8.4 mm/y) and relatively lower values afterward (nearly 2.4 mm/y between 2000 and 2022). This variability is associated with a variation of the different forcing. Steric effect has been the most important forcing before 1999 (Fenoglio-Marc, 2002; Vigo et al., 2005). Important change of the deep-water formation site also occurred in the 90’s. Their influence contributed to change the temperature and salinity property of the intermediate and deep water masses. These changes in the water masses and distribution is also associated with sea surface circulation changes, as the one observed in the Ionian Sea in 1997-1998 (e.g. Gačić et al., 2011), under the influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and negative Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) phases (Incarbona et al., 2016). These circulation changes may also impact the sea level trend in the basin (Vigo et al., 2005). In 2010-2011, high regional mean sea level has been related to enhanced water mass exchange at Gibraltar, under the influence of wind forcing during the negative phase of NAO (Landerer and Volkov, 2013).The relatively high contribution of both sterodynamic (due to steric and circulation changes) and gravitational, rotational, and deformation (due to mass and water storage changes) after 2000 compared to the [1960, 1989] period is also underlined by (Calafat et al., 2022). 

""KEY FINDINGS"" 

Over the [1999/02/20 to 2025/10/18] period, the area-averaged sea level in the Mediterranean Sea rises at a rate of 3.7 ± 0.8 mm/yr with an acceleration of 0.16 ± 0.06 mm/yr². This trend estimation is based on the altimeter measurements corrected from regional GIA correction (Spada et Melini, 2019) to consider the ongoing movement of land. The TOPEX-A is no longer included in the computation of regional mean sea level parameters (trend and acceleration) with version 2024 products due to potential drifts, and ongoing work aims to develop a new empirical correction. Calculation begins in February 1999 (the start of the TOPEX-B period). 

'''DOI (product):''' 
https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00264