Mean Sea Level Determination

Work package leader :, Johan Verstraeten
Afdeling Waterwegen Kust Hydrografie,
Vrijhavenstraat 3,
B-8400 Oostende,
Belgium.

email Johan Verstraeten, Johan.Verstraeten@lin.vlaanderen.be

Work package description:

Many European countries have well equipped tide gauge networks for the purpose of monitoring sea level. In some countries however, there are no operational tide gauges for various reasons. Establishment of tide gauges at new locations can give information that is of great value for oceanographic modelling and other applications. In addition, old tide gauges may need technical improvements in order to enable the delivery of sea-level data that comply with international standards.
The objective in this work package is the establishment and maintenance of high quality tide gauge networks that can provide researchers and managers with the information they need. Countries with much experience and know-how in this field will assist others through cooperative efforts in instrumentation etc. Establishment of tide gauges on a long term basis, in accordance with GLOSS standards, will have special attention.

The first stages in the establishment and maintenance of a high quality European sea level monitoring network was presented at the December 1997 meeting of the EOSS management committee. A set of tide gauges from the European Atlantic (including the North Sea) and Mediterranean coasts with more than 30 years of data was identified. Click here to see a figure showing the distribution of these gauges, and a list of the gauges. On the basis of questionnaires sent out in 1997 and 1998, the a table listing the number of gauges in Europe has been drawn up. It can be seen by Clicking Here. This table will need to be kept updated.

This list of gauges is preliminary, and information has been gained from national data banks, and (where national data was unavailable) from the archives of the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level.

The inclusion of tide gauges on Atlantic islands (e.g. Madeira) is under discussion, and will dependent on the intended use of the European network. The type of gauges in the network was discussed at the management meeting. The importance of maintaining old and new gauges together to establish the links between the two gauges was stressed.

A proposed EOSS tide gauge network can be seen by clicking HERE. This network is based on components of the national networks around Europe, and also some gauges which may need to be established or re-established, to fill in gaps in the current monitoring system.

Work package contributors:

Colin Bray	Peter Heinen	Tor Tørressen
Ordnance Survey Ireland Phoenix Park IE DUBLIN 8 Phone: +353-1-8206100 Fax: +353-1-8204156 e-mail: cbray@osi.ie	Rijkswaterstaat Rijksinstituut voor Kust en Zee (RIKZ) Kortenaerkade 1 PO BOX 20 907 NL 2500 AX DEN HAAG Phone:+31-70-3114522 Fax: +31-70-3114321 e-mail: p.f.heinen@rikz.rws.minvenw.nl	Norwegian Hydrographic Service Statens Kartverk Stavanger Norway Phone: Fax: e-mail: torreset@sjo.statkart.no
Serge Allain	Igor Strojan	Philip Axe
EPSHOM 13 rue du Chatellier - BP 426 29275 Brest Cedex, FRANCE Section Geodesie-Geophysique Phone:(33) 2-98-22-15-89 Fax:(33) 2-98-22-08-99 e-mail: allain@shom.fr	Hidrometeoroloski Zavod Republike Slovenije Ministrstvo za Okolje in Prostor Republic of Slovenia Phone Fax: 386 61 1331396 e-mail: igor.strojan@rzs-hm.si	CCMS - Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory Bidston Observatory Bidston Hill Prenton Wirral, United Kingdom Phone: +44 (0) 151 653 8633 Fax: +44 (0) 151 653 6269 e-mail: paxe@ccms.ac.uk
Rose Player	Maria-Jesus Garcia
Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level Bidston Observatory Bidston Hill Prenton Wirral, United Kingdom Phone: +44 (0) 151 653 8633 Fax: +44 (0) 151 653 6269 e-mail: psmsl@pol.ac.uk	Instituto Espanol de Oceanografia (IEO) Corazon de Maria, 8, ES 28002 Madrid Spain Phone: +34 91 347 36 12 Fax: +34 91 413 55 97 e-mail: mjesus.garcia@md.ieo.es

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