engleski

The Estimation of the Adriatic Sea Level Variability and Changes Based on Multi- Satellite Altimetry Data

The measurements of sea level change are a fundamental variable of the Earth system that indicates Earth's response to climate change and other geophysical phenomena. Changes in the height of the ocean are described through the relative and absolute sea level change depending on the geodetic reference the sea level records are related to. Satellite altimetry provides absolute sea level measurements related to the global geodetic reference with high precision in the open ocean areas and lower performance in coastal areas, whereas tide gauges provide relative sea level measurements related to the adjacent land, i.e. to the local reference, with high performance in coastal areas. Based on the research objectives and hypothesis proposed, this study resulted in a novel method for reconstructing absolute sea level from satellite altimeter and tide gauge records. The method is documented, analyzed, and applied to enable improved determination of sea level variability and sea level trends for the specific area of the Adriatic Sea during the satellite altimetry era, i.e. from late 1992 onwards. Following the results of the estimates of current sea level trends and the projections of sea level change for the 21st century combined with the computed absolute sea level surfaces and the vertical representation of the land areas, the study was extended on assessing the impact of sea level change on the Adriatic coast, focusing on the eastern Adriatic. The study hence presents the expected area loss of the eastern Adriatic coast throughout the 21st century and detects the possible vulnerable areas that are expected to be significantly influenced by the sea level change.

absolute sea level ; coastal altimetry ; digital terrain models ; interpolation methods ; offshore reference frame ; satellite altimetry validation ; sea level trends ; sea level rise impact study ; data integration ; vertical land movement

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