Revisiting the closure of the Mediterranean sea level budget

Abstract

<p>Over the 20<sup>th</sup> century, the global mean sea level has risen by about 20 cm, with about half of this amount since the early 1990s, as evidenced by satellite altimetry-based sea level records. Moreover, the rising of the oceans is not uniform and varies regionally. In some areas, the rate of sea level rise is up to 3 times the global mean, as a result of regional changes in steric sea level, ocean circulation-related mass redistribution and regional sea-level patterns caused by past and present-day land ice melt and terrestrial water storage change. The understanding of regional sea level changes is crucial for local sea level projections and coastal management strategies. In this study we focus in the Mediterranean Sea, as its coasts are home to large population centres and important infrastructures in low-lying areas. We estimate the contributions of the level budget components using altimetry-based sea level, Argo-based steric sea level and GRACE-based ocean mass for the period 2003 to 2020. In addition, we investigate the influence of some climate indices as potential drivers of the sea level variability in the Mediterranean Sea.</p>