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Chapter 2 - Sea-level measuring systems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2014

David Pugh  and
Philip Woodworth
David Pugh
Affiliation:
National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool
Philip Woodworth
Affiliation:
National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool
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Summary

When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it.

Lord Kelvin

The science of measurement

The ocean is its own uncontrollable laboratory and the oceanographer who measures the properties of the sea is an observational rather than an experimental scientist. Sea levels can be measured in situ, or by altimetry-satellite remote sensing. Technically the necessity of making in situ measurements of sea level presents many challenges in terms of the logistics of travel to the site, for deployment of the equipment, and for its safe and reliable operation in a frequently hostile environment.

This chapter summarises methods of measuring changes of sea levels over tidal and longer periods. The special requirements of tsunami monitoring are further discussed in Chapter 8. Measurements of currents are not included here (but see Section 4.4 on analyses of currents) as they are covered in many general oceanographic textbooks. Measurements of sea level by satellite altimetry, which are closely linked to orbit computations, mean sea level (MSL), and the shape of the Earth, are discussed extensively in Chapter 9.

Type
Chapter
Information
Sea-Level Science
Understanding Tides, Surges, Tsunamis and Mean Sea-Level Changes
 , pp. 17 - 35
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2014

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References

IOC, 2006. Manual on Sea-Level Measurement and Interpretation. Volume 4: An Update to 2006. (eds. Aarup, T., Merrifield, M., Pérez, B., Vassie, I. and Woodworth, P.). Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Manuals and Guides No. 14. Paris: UNESCO/Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. Note that Volumes I–III (Vol. 1, 1985; Vol. 2, 1994; Vol. 3, 2001) are still useful and provide extensive information for people intending to install and operate tide gauges. All are available from .Google Scholar
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Pugh, D. T. 1987. Tides, Surges and Mean Sea Level. Chichester: Wiley.Google Scholar
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(1) Woodworth, P. L. and Player, R. 2003. The Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level: an update to the 21st century. Journal of Coastal Research, 19, 287–295. (2) . (3) Holgate, S. J., Matthews, A., Woodworth, P. L. et al. 2013. New data systems and products at the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level. Journal of Coastal Research, 29, 493–504, .Google Scholar
Hunter, J., Coleman, R. and Pugh, D. T. 2003. The sea level at Port Arthur, Tasmania from 1841 to the present. Geophysical Research Letters, 30, 1401, .CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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