The pattern of sea-level rise across the North Atlantic from long-term-trend tide gauges

Abstract

The long-term-trend tide gauges have monthly average mean sea levels oscillating about the same perfectly linear trend before and after 1990, across the North Atlantic, same of every other water basin. This stable pattern is clear over the full length of the records starting in the late 1800s/early 1900s having negligible acceleration. Across the North Atlantic, the absolute rate of rise of the sea levels, computed by coupling the monthly average mean sea levels signal with the position signal from Global Positioning System, is also about the same. The absolute sea levels of New York, U.S. and Brest, France, have a similar pattern since 1854. Measurements of the 41 °N Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation based on the Array for Real-time Geostrophic Oceanography and satellite altimetry, also show stable strength, since 1990. A proxy of this Overturning Circulation linked to the absolute mean sea levels of New York and Brest also show stability since 1854. Coastal management should acknowledge this fact.