FEATURES OF SEA LEVEL OSCILLATIONS IN INLAND BASINS OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

Abstract

Problem Statement and Purpose. The determination of the impact of planetary regularities not only to the entire dynamic system of the World Ocean but also on its separate regions stimulates the development of mechanisms for rational nature management in the coastal zone for various space-time scales. The aim of the work is to compare the long-term characteristics and trends of sea level variability in the inner basins of the Atlantic Ocean, to establish their seasonal features.Data & Methods. Level measurements at gauging stations of the Baltic, Black and Azov Seas which are given in the public sources were used for this research. Most of these stations have the data series in the Baltic reference system for the same time period: from 1875 to 2006 for the mean annual level and from 1977 to 2006 for the average monthly values. The correlation analysis was used to determine statistical connections, the spectral analysis was used for finding the dominant oscillations.Results. The positive trends (from 0,7 to 2,9 mm year-1) in the dynamics of the average annual sea level (1875-2006) at the eastern coast of the Baltic and the northern coast of the Azov-Black Sea basin were established for the whole period. Long-period fluctuations of the level within each sea are well correlated (0,84-0,94) and there is practically no connection between the basins. The seasonal variation in the seas being compared has an anti-phase character (correlation coefficient from -0,64 to -0,87). Sea-level fluctuations have the value from one to tens of years, with the most significant quasi-two-year and 3-5-year periods.