Sea-level Variations and their Interactions Between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea

Abstract

Short, tidal, subtidal, seasonal sea-level variations, sea-level differences and interactions have been studied based on data collected at the stations located along the coasts of the south-western Black Sea, the Strait of Istanbul (Bosphorus), the Sea of Marmara, the Strait of Çanakkale (Dardanelles) and the north-eastern Aegean Sea. Short-period oscillations in the Strait of Istanbul, the Sea of Marmara and the Strait of Çanakkale were related to the natural periods of the straits and the Sea of Marmara itself. Tidal oscillations are small in amplitude and vary along the system. Tides are diurnal in the Black Sea and the Strait of Istanbul, mixed, but mainly diurnal at the south of the Strait of Istanbul and in the Sea of Marmara, and semi-diurnal in the Strait of Çanakkale. Long-period oscillations, which are mainly governed by meteorological influences, have a high correlation within a 3–14 day period. Seasonal sea-level fluctuations are in accord with the Black Sea's hydrological cycle. There is a pronounced sea-level difference along the system. The mean sea level at the Black Sea is about 55cm higher than at the Aegean Sea, but the slope along the system is non-linear, being much steeper in the Strait of Istanbul.