The Eastern Mediterranean Sea mean sea level decadal slowdown: the effects of the water budget
This paper analyses the decadal variability of the Mean Sea Level (MSL) trend for the Mediterranean Sea and three subregions using a combination of satellite altimetry, tide gauges and reanalyses datasets for the past 30 years (1993–2022). These estimates indicate a decadal variability of the MSL ac...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Climate |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2025.1472731/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1825201931247681536 |
|---|---|
| author | Federica Borile Nadia Pinardi Nadia Pinardi Vladyslav Lyubartsev Mahmud Hasan Ghani Antonio Navarra Antonio Navarra Jacopo Alessandri Emanuela Clementi Giovanni Coppini Lorenzo Mentaschi Giorgia Verri Vladimir Santos da Costa Enrico Scoccimarro Francesco Misurale Antonio Novellino Paolo Oddo |
| author_facet | Federica Borile Nadia Pinardi Nadia Pinardi Vladyslav Lyubartsev Mahmud Hasan Ghani Antonio Navarra Antonio Navarra Jacopo Alessandri Emanuela Clementi Giovanni Coppini Lorenzo Mentaschi Giorgia Verri Vladimir Santos da Costa Enrico Scoccimarro Francesco Misurale Antonio Novellino Paolo Oddo |
| author_sort | Federica Borile |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper analyses the decadal variability of the Mean Sea Level (MSL) trend for the Mediterranean Sea and three subregions using a combination of satellite altimetry, tide gauges and reanalyses datasets for the past 30 years (1993–2022). These estimates indicate a decadal variability of the MSL across the analysed period, and a trend slowdown in the 2013–2022 decade compared to previous periods. While the overall trend remains positive across the Mediterranean basin, regional differences are evident. The Western Mediterranean shows an accelerating trend, consistent with global sea level rise, while the Eastern Mediterranean has experienced a decadal slowdown, particularly in the semi-enclosed Adriatic and Aegean Seas, where negative trends are observed. This slowdown is attributed to the combined effects of changes in the water cycle and the balancing of thermal and haline steric components. A key driver of this trend is increased evaporation, which is not offset by precipitation, runoff, or transport through the Straits. These results underscore the significance of the Mediterranean’s water budget in influencing sea level trends and highlight the complexity of modelling and interpreting decadal sea level changes. The findings suggest that continued monitoring and a better understanding of regional water budgets are crucial for refining future projections and developing effective climate adaptation strategies for the Mediterranean coastal areas. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a65a9708820744aa82ef610264d3190f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2624-9553 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Climate |
| spelling | doaj-art-a65a9708820744aa82ef610264d3190f2025-02-07T17:21:03ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Climate2624-95532025-02-01710.3389/fclim.2025.14727311472731The Eastern Mediterranean Sea mean sea level decadal slowdown: the effects of the water budgetFederica Borile0Nadia Pinardi1Nadia Pinardi2Vladyslav Lyubartsev3Mahmud Hasan Ghani4Antonio Navarra5Antonio Navarra6Jacopo Alessandri7Emanuela Clementi8Giovanni Coppini9Lorenzo Mentaschi10Giorgia Verri11Vladimir Santos da Costa12Enrico Scoccimarro13Francesco Misurale14Antonio Novellino15Paolo Oddo16Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyCMCC Foundation—Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, Bologna, ItalyCMCC Foundation—Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyCMCC Foundation—Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Geology, Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyCMCC Foundation—Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, Bologna, ItalyCMCC Foundation—Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyCMCC Foundation—Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, Bologna, ItalyCMCC Foundation—Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, Bologna, ItalyCMCC Foundation—Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, Bologna, ItalyETT SpA, Genova, ItalyETT SpA, Genova, ItalyDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyThis paper analyses the decadal variability of the Mean Sea Level (MSL) trend for the Mediterranean Sea and three subregions using a combination of satellite altimetry, tide gauges and reanalyses datasets for the past 30 years (1993–2022). These estimates indicate a decadal variability of the MSL across the analysed period, and a trend slowdown in the 2013–2022 decade compared to previous periods. While the overall trend remains positive across the Mediterranean basin, regional differences are evident. The Western Mediterranean shows an accelerating trend, consistent with global sea level rise, while the Eastern Mediterranean has experienced a decadal slowdown, particularly in the semi-enclosed Adriatic and Aegean Seas, where negative trends are observed. This slowdown is attributed to the combined effects of changes in the water cycle and the balancing of thermal and haline steric components. A key driver of this trend is increased evaporation, which is not offset by precipitation, runoff, or transport through the Straits. These results underscore the significance of the Mediterranean’s water budget in influencing sea level trends and highlight the complexity of modelling and interpreting decadal sea level changes. The findings suggest that continued monitoring and a better understanding of regional water budgets are crucial for refining future projections and developing effective climate adaptation strategies for the Mediterranean coastal areas.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2025.1472731/fullMediterranean Seawater budgetdecadal variabilitysteric sea levelclimate adaptationmean sea level trend |
| spellingShingle | Federica Borile Nadia Pinardi Nadia Pinardi Vladyslav Lyubartsev Mahmud Hasan Ghani Antonio Navarra Antonio Navarra Jacopo Alessandri Emanuela Clementi Giovanni Coppini Lorenzo Mentaschi Giorgia Verri Vladimir Santos da Costa Enrico Scoccimarro Francesco Misurale Antonio Novellino Paolo Oddo The Eastern Mediterranean Sea mean sea level decadal slowdown: the effects of the water budget Frontiers in Climate Mediterranean Sea water budget decadal variability steric sea level climate adaptation mean sea level trend |
| title | The Eastern Mediterranean Sea mean sea level decadal slowdown: the effects of the water budget |
| title_full | The Eastern Mediterranean Sea mean sea level decadal slowdown: the effects of the water budget |
| title_fullStr | The Eastern Mediterranean Sea mean sea level decadal slowdown: the effects of the water budget |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Eastern Mediterranean Sea mean sea level decadal slowdown: the effects of the water budget |
| title_short | The Eastern Mediterranean Sea mean sea level decadal slowdown: the effects of the water budget |
| title_sort | eastern mediterranean sea mean sea level decadal slowdown the effects of the water budget |
| topic | Mediterranean Sea water budget decadal variability steric sea level climate adaptation mean sea level trend |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2025.1472731/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT federicaborile theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT nadiapinardi theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT nadiapinardi theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT vladyslavlyubartsev theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT mahmudhasanghani theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT antonionavarra theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT antonionavarra theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT jacopoalessandri theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT emanuelaclementi theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT giovannicoppini theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT lorenzomentaschi theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT giorgiaverri theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT vladimirsantosdacosta theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT enricoscoccimarro theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT francescomisurale theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT antonionovellino theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT paolooddo theeasternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT federicaborile easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT nadiapinardi easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT nadiapinardi easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT vladyslavlyubartsev easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT mahmudhasanghani easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT antonionavarra easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT antonionavarra easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT jacopoalessandri easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT emanuelaclementi easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT giovannicoppini easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT lorenzomentaschi easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT giorgiaverri easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT vladimirsantosdacosta easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT enricoscoccimarro easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT francescomisurale easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT antonionovellino easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget AT paolooddo easternmediterraneanseameansealeveldecadalslowdowntheeffectsofthewaterbudget |