A decadal sea-level variability in Port-Said Harbour (Egypt)

Abstract

This paper used hourly data from the sea-level recorder installed in Port-Said Harbour on the Eastern Egyptian Mediterranean Coast. The data covered one decade (2002–2011) and were used to describe the temporal sea-level variability off Port Said including; its mean sea level (MSL), annual rate trend, seasonal behaviour, main tidal features, and the different water levels. The T_TIDE program was applied to obtain the astronomical constituents and the residual elevations. Throughout the period of study, the MSL was 69.1 cm; reaching its minimum (63.5 cm) in 2007 and its maximum (74.5 cm) in 2006. Tides were mixed mainly semidiurnal, and the sea level had an increasing rate of 2.1 mm/yr. The Principal Lunar constituent (M₂) had the largest astronomical amplitude of 13.4 cm, and the spring to neap ratio was 1.4. The sea level displayed seasonal alterations with the lowest values in spring and highest in summer. The residual heights varied between 11.60 and 110 cm with an average of 67.5 cm. Results revealed that the astronomical tide contributed with 2.3% in the observed sea level, while the surge contributed with 97.7%. The correlation between the sea-level fluctuations with the meteorological conditions in the vicinity of Port Said needs further investigation.