Copernicus Marine In Situ TAC - Ocean Monitoring Indicator OMI_EXTREME_SL_IBI_slev_mean_and_anomaly_obs

DEFINITION The OMI_EXTREME_SL_IBI_slev_mean_and_anomaly_obs indicator is based on the computation of the 99th and the 1st percentiles from in situ data (observations). It is computed for the variable sea level measured by tide gauges along the coast. The use of percentiles instead of annual maximum and minimum values, makes this extremes study less affected by individual data measurement errors. The annual percentiles referred to annual mean sea level are temporally averaged and their spatial evolution is displayed in the dataset ibi_omi_sl_extreme_var_slev_mean_and_anomaly_obs, jointly with the anomaly in the target year. This study of extreme variability was first applied to sea level variable (Pérez Gómez et al 2016) and then extended to other essential variables, sea surface temperature and significant wave height (Pérez Gómez et al 2018).
CONTEXT Sea level (SLEV) is one of the Essential Ocean Variables most affected by climate change. Global mean sea level rise has accelerated since the 1990’s (Abram et al., 2019, Legeais et al., 2020), due to the increase of ocean temperature and mass volume caused by land ice melting (WCRP, 2018). Basin scale oceanographic and meteorological features lead to regional variations of this trend that combined with changes in the frequency and intensity of storms could also rise extreme sea levels up to one metre by the end of the century (Vousdoukas et al., 2020, Tebaldi et al., 2021). This will significantly increase coastal vulnerability to storms, with important consequences on the extent of flooding events, coastal erosion and damage to infrastructures caused by waves (Boumis et al., 2023). The increase in extreme sea levels over recent decades is, therefore, primarily due to the rise in mean sea level. Note, however, that the methodology used to compute this OMI removes the annual 50th percentile, thereby discarding the mean sea level trend to isolate changes in storminess.    The Iberian Biscay Ireland region shows positive sea level trend modulated by decadal-to-multidecadal variations driven by ocean dynamics and superposed to the long-term trend (Chafik et al., 2019).
COPERNICUS MARINE SERVICE KEY FINDINGS The completeness index criteria is fulfilled by 57 stations in 2021,  two more than those  available in 2021 (55), recently added to the  multi-year product  INSITU_GLO_PHY_SSH_DISCRETE_MY_013_053. The mean 99th percentiles reflect the great tide spatial variability around the UK and the north of France. Minimum values are observed in the Irish eastern coast (e.g.: 0.66 m above mean sea level in Arklow Harbour) and the Canary Islands (e.g.: 0.93 and 0.96 m above mean sea level in Gomera and Hierro, respectively). Maximum values are observed in the Bristol and English Channels (e.g.: 6.26 , 5.58 and 5.17 m above mean sea level in Newport, St. Malo and St. Helier, respectively). The annual 99th percentiles standard deviation reflects the south-north increase of storminess, ranging between 1-2 cm in the Canary Islands to 12 cm in Newport (Bristol Channel). Although less pronounced and general than in 2021, negative or close to zero anomalies of 2022 99th percentile still prevail throughout the region  this year  reaching up to -14 cm in St.Helier (Jersey Island, Channel Islands), or -12 cm in St. Malo. Positive anomalies of 2022 99th percentile are found in the northern part of the region (Irish eastern coast and west Scotland coast) and at a couple of stations in Southern England, with values reaching 9 cm in Bangor (Northern Ireland) and 6 cm in Portsmouth (South England).
References:
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