Abstract
Satellite altimetry data from X-TRACK products were analyzed for an overall assessment of their capability to detect coastal sea level variability in the Ligurian Sea. Near-coastal altimetry data, collected from 2009 to 2016 along track n.044, were compared with simultaneous high frequency sampled data at the tidal station in Genoa (NW Mediterranean Sea). The two time series show a very good agreement: correlation between total sea level elevation from the altimeter and sea level variation from the tidal gauge is 0.92 and root mean square difference is 4.5 cm. Some relevant mismatches can be ascribed to the local high frequency coastal variability due to shelf and harbor oscillation detected at the tidal station, which might not be observed at the location of the altimetry points of measurement. The analysis evidences discrepancies (root mean square difference of 4.7 cm) between model results for open sea tides and harmonic analysis at the tidal station, mainly occurring at the annual and semiannual period. On the contrary, the important part of dynamic atmospheric correction due to the inverse barometer effect, well agrees with that computed at the tidal station.
Highlights
Measures of sea level vertical displacements in harbors or close to coastal structures are among the oldest oceanographic observations available
Some relevant mismatches can be ascribed to the local high frequency coastal variability due to shelf and harbor oscillation detected at the tidal station, which might not be observed at the location of the altimetry points of measurement
Sea level elevation measurements in the open sea area were later obtained by bottom pressure sensors, while estimation of sea surface topography at the regional and global scale is performed by computing the steric level from sea water density profiles or by means of numerical model simulation
Summary
Measures of sea level vertical displacements in harbors or close to coastal structures are among the oldest oceanographic observations available. The main objective of this work is to compare sea level data obtained from satellite altimetry close to the coast with simultaneous tidal gauge measurements in the Port of Genoa for an overall assessment of the dataset This is the first time such a comparison has been made in this region, which is an important maritime hub in Italy. An important part of this study addresses the estimation of the coastal variability in the Gulf of Genoa, considering phenomena occurring in a wide range of time scales: from a few minutes period of meteotsunamis and shelf oscillations to the seasonal and annual cycle
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