Sea level changes and vertical land motion from altimetry and tide gauges in the Southern Levantine Basin

Abstract

We have investigated the sea level rise (SLR) in the Southern Levantine region of the Mediterranean Sea during the period 1993–2015 using satellite altimetry and tide gauge data. Satellite altimetry indicated a positive SLR with a mean of 3.51 ± 0.62 mm/year, which is slightly higher than the global averaged mean SLR that was reported about 3.19 ± 0.63 (Chambers et al., 2017). The rates of vertical land motion (VLM rate) have been estimated from the trend of de-seasoned sea level difference (altimetry minus TG) time series at the 6 selected TG sites. Land subsidence was found to occur at three stations along the Nile Delta coast (Rosetta, Burullus and Damietta) and at one station in Israel (Hadera). Most of the previous studies in the Mediterranean Sea indicated that there are no sufficient tide gauge data in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Sea. So, this investigation offers valuable sea level information that can be applied in a wide range of climatology, related environmental issues, for example; land subsidence, inundation, and global warming in the southern Levantine basin.