Seasonal sea level variations in the Red Sea inferred from satellite altimetry, GRACE and temperature and salinity data

doi:10.11947/j.AGCS.2019.20190034

Abstract

Abstract: Satellite altimetry, GRACE and temperature-salinity datas are used to analyze the sea level variations in the Red Sea over the period from 2003 to 2014, and we explore the precipitation-evaporation effect and the water exchange between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea on local sea level variations. Due to the poor coverage and imperfection for single temperature-salinity dataset, we averaged three datasets (CORA, SODA, and ORAS4) to improve the accuracy of the steric sea level variations. In order to correct the leakage errors induced by truncation and spatial smoothing during GRACE postprocessing, we proposed an improved scale factor, which is validated by using satellite altimeter measurements. Annual amplitudes of mass-induced sea level variations observed by GRACE measurements for traditional and improved scale factor are 16.1±1.3 and 20.5±1.7 cm, respectively, and that inferred from satellite altimetry and temperature-salinity data is 20.2±1.0 cm, indicating that the improved scale factor can restore the leaked signals effectively. Results demonstrate good agreement among the satellite altimetry, GRACE and temperature-salinity data. Annual amplitude of the total sea level variations combining the GRACE mass-induced and temperature-salinity steric sea level variations is 16.6±1.7 cm, which is consistent with satellite altimeter results (16.2±0.9 cm), implying that closed-loop verification can be established among the different sea level measurements in the Red Sea. Mass exchange with the Gulf of Aden through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait has an obvious effect on the mass variations in the Red Sea, which dominates the seasonal signals of mass variations in the Red Sea.

Key words: Red Sea, GRACE, satellite altimetry, temperature and salinity data, sea level variations, improved scale factor

CLC Number:

P223

ZHAO Hongbin, GU Yanchao, FAN Dongming, QIU Chunhong, SU Chunpeng, FANG Weihao. Seasonal sea level variations in the Red Sea inferred from satellite altimetry, GRACE and temperature and salinity data[J]. Acta Geodaetica et Cartographica Sinica, 2019, 48(9): 1119-1128.

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