Estimation of Relative Sea Level Change in Locations Without Tide Gauges Using Artificial Neural Networks

Sea level rise due to climate change poses an increasing threat to coastal ecosystems, infrastructure, and human settlements. However, accurately estimating sea level changes in regions without tide gauge observations remains a major challenge. While satellite altimetry provides wide spatial coverag...

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Main Authors: Heeryun Kim, Young Il Park, Wansik Ko, Taehyun Yoon, Jeong-Hwan Kim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/7/1243
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author Heeryun Kim
Young Il Park
Wansik Ko
Taehyun Yoon
Jeong-Hwan Kim
author_facet Heeryun Kim
Young Il Park
Wansik Ko
Taehyun Yoon
Jeong-Hwan Kim
author_sort Heeryun Kim
collection DOAJ
description Sea level rise due to climate change poses an increasing threat to coastal ecosystems, infrastructure, and human settlements. However, accurately estimating sea level changes in regions without tide gauge observations remains a major challenge. While satellite altimetry provides wide spatial coverage, its accuracy diminishes near coastlines. In contrast, tide gauges offer high precision but are spatially limited. This study aims to develop an artificial neural network-based model for estimating relative sea level changes in coastal regions where tide gauge data are unavailable. Unlike conventional forecasting approaches focused on future time series prediction, the proposed model is designed to learn spatial distribution patterns and temporal rates of sea level change from a fusion of satellite altimetry and tide gauge data. A normalization scheme is applied to reduce inconsistencies in reference levels, and Bayesian optimization is employed to fine-tune hyperparameters. A case analysis is conducted in two coastal regions in South Korea, Busan and Ansan, using data from 2018 to 2023. The model demonstrates strong agreement with observed tide gauge records, particularly in estimating temporal trends of sea level rise. This approach effectively compensates for the limitations of satellite altimetry in coastal regions and fills critical observational gaps in ungauged areas. The proposed method holds substantial promise for coastal hazard mitigation, infrastructure planning, and climate adaptation strategies.
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issn 2077-1312
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series Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
spelling doaj-art-9fe25097d2a3422f93cac4199c5898ca2025-08-20T03:58:30ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122025-06-01137124310.3390/jmse13071243Estimation of Relative Sea Level Change in Locations Without Tide Gauges Using Artificial Neural NetworksHeeryun Kim0Young Il Park1Wansik Ko2Taehyun Yoon3Jeong-Hwan Kim4Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Dong-A University, Busan 49315, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Dong-A University, Busan 49315, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Dong-A University, Busan 49315, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Dong-A University, Busan 49315, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Dong-A University, Busan 49315, Republic of KoreaSea level rise due to climate change poses an increasing threat to coastal ecosystems, infrastructure, and human settlements. However, accurately estimating sea level changes in regions without tide gauge observations remains a major challenge. While satellite altimetry provides wide spatial coverage, its accuracy diminishes near coastlines. In contrast, tide gauges offer high precision but are spatially limited. This study aims to develop an artificial neural network-based model for estimating relative sea level changes in coastal regions where tide gauge data are unavailable. Unlike conventional forecasting approaches focused on future time series prediction, the proposed model is designed to learn spatial distribution patterns and temporal rates of sea level change from a fusion of satellite altimetry and tide gauge data. A normalization scheme is applied to reduce inconsistencies in reference levels, and Bayesian optimization is employed to fine-tune hyperparameters. A case analysis is conducted in two coastal regions in South Korea, Busan and Ansan, using data from 2018 to 2023. The model demonstrates strong agreement with observed tide gauge records, particularly in estimating temporal trends of sea level rise. This approach effectively compensates for the limitations of satellite altimetry in coastal regions and fills critical observational gaps in ungauged areas. The proposed method holds substantial promise for coastal hazard mitigation, infrastructure planning, and climate adaptation strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/7/1243sea level risesatellite altimetrytide gaugedata fusionartificial neural networks
spellingShingle Heeryun Kim
Young Il Park
Wansik Ko
Taehyun Yoon
Jeong-Hwan Kim
Estimation of Relative Sea Level Change in Locations Without Tide Gauges Using Artificial Neural Networks
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
sea level rise
satellite altimetry
tide gauge
data fusion
artificial neural networks
title Estimation of Relative Sea Level Change in Locations Without Tide Gauges Using Artificial Neural Networks
title_full Estimation of Relative Sea Level Change in Locations Without Tide Gauges Using Artificial Neural Networks
title_fullStr Estimation of Relative Sea Level Change in Locations Without Tide Gauges Using Artificial Neural Networks
title_full_unstemmed Estimation of Relative Sea Level Change in Locations Without Tide Gauges Using Artificial Neural Networks
title_short Estimation of Relative Sea Level Change in Locations Without Tide Gauges Using Artificial Neural Networks
title_sort estimation of relative sea level change in locations without tide gauges using artificial neural networks
topic sea level rise
satellite altimetry
tide gauge
data fusion
artificial neural networks
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/7/1243
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AT wansikko estimationofrelativesealevelchangeinlocationswithouttidegaugesusingartificialneuralnetworks
AT taehyunyoon estimationofrelativesealevelchangeinlocationswithouttidegaugesusingartificialneuralnetworks
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