Description
Sea level projections are crucial for understanding future risks, especially in areas prone to sea level rise. By optimizing both tide gauge data and satellite altimetry data, this effort aims to provide a more accurate reconstruction of sea level changes over a substantial period of 67 years, specifically for the Mediterranean Sea.
Impact During the Project
Enhanced Accuracy and Coverage:
Traditional State: Historically, sea level projections might have relied primarily on either tide gauge data or satellite altimetry data in isolation, potentially causing gaps or inaccuracies in the projections.
Advancement: By integrating both data sources, the sea level reconstruction offers improved accuracy, filling potential gaps and providing more detailed spatial and temporal insights into sea level changes in the Mediterranean region over nearly seven decades.
Resource Utilization and Recognition:
Traditional State: Traditional sea level projections might have been less frequently cited or used due to potential limitations in their data sources.
Advancement: The optimization and comprehensive integration of data in this project can result in the findings becoming a pivotal resource for researchers and policymakers, as evidenced by the download of data, associated reports, scientific papers, and their citations.
Impact Post Project
Blueprint for Global Applications:
Traditional State: Many sea level reconstructions might be region-specific without clear methodologies that could be adapted to other areas.
Advancement: Beyond its immediate benefits to the Mediterranean region, this optimized methodology can serve as a blueprint for sea level reconstructions elsewhere. The methodology’s adaptability ensures that similar integrative approaches can be taken in other parts of the world.
Promotion of Integrated Approaches:
With a demonstrated methodology that optimally combines multiple data sources for sea level reconstruction, other researchers and institutions might be incentivized to adopt similar integrative approaches in their projects, leading to widespread improvements in sea level data accuracy and coverage.
Advancement over and above State of the Art
The project’s effort to merge tide gauge data with satellite altimetry data represents a significant leap from potentially isolated or singular data source-based sea level projections. This integrative approach not only benefits the Mediterranean region through improved accuracy and comprehensive coverage over an extended period but also sets a global precedent. By showcasing the advantages and viability of such an integrated methodology, it encourages similar approaches worldwide, paving the way for more accurate and detailed sea level reconstructions globally.
Links and References
Link to D3.3 – New tide gauge data flow strategy: https://eurosea.eu/download/eurosea_d3-3_new_tide_gauge_data_flow_strategy_resubmitted/?wpdmdl=5524&refresh=650197c59386c1694603205
Link to D3.15 – Tide gauge metadata catalogue: https://eurosea.eu/download/eurosea_d3-15_tide-gauge-metadata-catalogue/?wpdmdl=5548&refresh=650197c7719991694603207
Link to D4.5 – Synthesis of satellite validation results: https://eurosea.eu/download/eurosea_d4-5_synthesis_satellite_validation_results_revised_resubmitted/?wpdmdl=5563&refresh=650197c8ab4c51694603208
Link to D5.2 – Mediterranean sea-level reconstruction spanning 1950-2017: https://eurosea.eu/download/eurosea_d5-2_mediterranean_sea_level_reconstruction_spanning-2/?wpdmdl=5577&refresh=650197c9c05581694603209
Code data link here.
