Observed mean sea level changes around the North Sea coastline from 1800 to present

Wahl, Thomas; Haigh, Ivan D.; Woodworth, Philip L.; Albrecht, Frauke; Dillingh, D.; Jensen, Jürgen; Nicholls, Robert J.; Weisse, Ralf; Wöppelmann, Guy

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2013.05.003

Cited by 153 publications

(162 citation statements)

References 93 publications

(110 reference statements)

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“…The trends based on annual mean values, also listed in Table 1, lie in-between those half-year trends and are in agreement with previously calculated trends by Wahl et al (2013). Besides the problem of a difference in trend between summer half-year and full years, the reduction in the confidence interval gained by selecting the summer half-year is actually modest (see Table 1).…”

Section: Sea Level Variationssupporting

confidence: 74%

Interannual variability of mean sea level and its sensitivity to wind climate in an inter-tidal basin

Gerkema

Duran‐Matute

2017

Earth Syst. Dynam.

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Abstract.The relationship between the annual wind records from a weather station and annual mean sea level in an inter-tidal basin, the Dutch Wadden Sea, is examined. Recent, homogeneous wind records are used, covering the past 2 decades. It is demonstrated that even such a relatively short record is sufficient for finding a convincing relationship. The interannual variability of mean sea level is largely explained by the west-east component of the net wind energy, with some further improvement if one also includes the south-north component and the annual mean atmospheric pressure. Using measured data from a weather station is found to give a slight improvement over reanalysis data, but for both the correlation between annual mean sea level and wind energy in the westeast direction is high. For different tide gauge stations in the Dutch Wadden Sea and along the coast, we find the same qualitative characteristics, but even within this small region, different locations show a different sensitivity of annual mean sea level to wind direction. Correcting observed values of annual mean level for meteorological factors reduces the margin of error (expressed as 95 % confidence interval) by more than a factor of 4 in the trends of the 20-year sea level record. Supplementary data from a numerical hydrodynamical model are used to illustrate the regional variability in annual mean sea level and its interannual variability at a high spatial resolution. This study implies that climatic changes in the strength of winds from a specific direction may affect local annual mean sea level quite significantly.

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Section: Sea Level Variationssupporting

confidence: 74%

Interannual variability of mean sea level and its sensitivity to wind climate in an inter-tidal basin

Gerkema

Duran‐Matute

2017

Earth Syst. Dynam.

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“…Since 1950, sea level has risen about 10cm around the UK (Woodworth et al 2009); coastlines along the English Channel are estimated to be slightly lower at around 8cm (Wahl et al 2013). Increasing baseline sea level poses additional challenges for those improving protection against storm surges and associated flooding.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic assessment of maritime disruptions affecting UK ports, coastal areas and surrounding seas from 1950 to 2014

et al. 2016

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AcknowledgementsEA is grateful for the receipt of a Southampton Marine and Maritime Institution (SMMI) and the University of Southampton's Faculty of Engineering and the Environment (FEE) funded studentship during the course of this research. SB was funded by the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme's collaborative project RISES-AM-(contract FP7-ENV-2013-two-stage-603396). AbstractMaritime disruptions can have severe negative implications. This study analysed maritime disruptions in UK ports, coastal areas and surrounding seas from 1950 to 2014, systematically assessing their scale, duration, extent and consequences. Disruptions are a single or sequence of hazardous events that negatively affect 'business as usual' conditions, ranging from minor to major disruption and even loss of life. To express this range a severity scale was developed and applied. A database of maritime disruptions and their severities was constructed using data archaeology, identifying 88 events, primarily caused by wind storms (36%), human error (23%), mechanical faults (14%) and storm surges (12%). All events other than human error or mechanical faults occurred between October and March (typically associated with autumn/winter storms and depressions), with 65% recorded between November and January. Maritime disruptions from weather events tended to have regional/national impacts; whereas human error or mechanical faults were usually locally severe. Since 2000 ports demonstrated more frequent disruption to wind storms due to mechanisation, increased delay and closure reporting, and refined health and safety regulations. Most frequently affected were the sea areas Fair Isle and Dover, and the Felixstowe and Dover ports. Through time, primary impacts shifted from extensive flooding and structural damage to financial impacts and disruption; associated with adaptation including implementation/upgrading of coastal defences, storm warning systems and legislation. Port and governmental bodies responded adaptively (e.g. Thames Barrier construction and development of automatic tracking systems). The UK's maritime disruption vulnerability has altered significantly since 1950 and continues to evolve.

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“…While there has been a statistically significant acceleration in SLR since the start of the 20th century of around 0.009 mm year −2 (Church and White 2011), rates similar to that of the 1993-2010 period have been observed previously, for instance between 1920 and 1950. In the North Sea, rates of SLR for the 20th century of around 1.5 mm year −1 have been estimated (Wahl et al 2013). Significant future changes in sea level around the world's coastline are expected over the next century and beyond (IPCC 2013).…”

Section: Sea Level Storm Surges and Surface Wavesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Projected Change—North Sea

Schrum

Lowe

Meier

et al. 2016

North Sea Region Climate Change Assessment

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Increasing numbers of regional climate change scenario assessments have become available for the North Sea. A critical review of the regional studies has helped identify robust changes, challenges, uncertainties and specific recommendations for future research. Coherent findings from the climate change impact studies reviewed in this chapter include overall increases in sea level and ocean temperature, a freshening of the North Sea, an increase in ocean acidification and a decrease in primary production. However, findings from multi-model ensembles show the amplitude and spatial pattern of the projected changes in sea level, temperature, salinity and primary production are not consistent among the various regional projections and remain uncertain. Different approaches are used to downscale global climate change impacts, each with advantages and disadvantages. Regardless of the downscaling method employed, the regional studies are ultimately affected by the forcing global climate models. Projecting regional climate change impacts on biogeochemistry and primary production is currently limited by a lack of consistent downscaling approaches for marine and terrestrial impacts. Substantial natural variability in the North Sea region from annual to multi-decadal time scales is a particular challenge for projecting regional climate change impacts. Natural variability dominates long-term trends in wind fields and strongly wind-influenced characteristics like local sea level, storm C. Schrum

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Observed mean sea level changes around the North Sea coastline from 1800 to present

Cited by 153 publications

References 93 publications

Interannual variability of mean sea level and its sensitivity to wind climate in an inter-tidal basin

Interannual variability of mean sea level and its sensitivity to wind climate in an inter-tidal basin

A systematic assessment of maritime disruptions affecting UK ports, coastal areas and surrounding seas from 1950 to 2014

Projected Change—North Sea

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