Spatial Variation and Uncertainty Analysis of Black Sea Level Change from Virtual Altimetry Stations over 1993–2020

Global mean sea level has been rising steadily since the early 1990s, yet regional sea level changes exhibit complex spatial variability that frequently contrasts with global trends. Investigating sea level variations in semi-enclosed basins such as the Black Sea is crucial for elucidating regional...

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Main Authors: Yuxuan Fan, Shunqiang Hu, Xiwen Sun, Xiaoxing He, Jianhao Zhang, Wei Jin, Yu Liao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Remote Sensing
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/13/2228
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author Yuxuan Fan
Shunqiang Hu
Xiwen Sun
Xiaoxing He
Jianhao Zhang
Wei Jin
Yu Liao
author_facet Yuxuan Fan
Shunqiang Hu
Xiwen Sun
Xiaoxing He
Jianhao Zhang
Wei Jin
Yu Liao
author_sort Yuxuan Fan
collection DOAJ
description Global mean sea level has been rising steadily since the early 1990s, yet regional sea level changes exhibit complex spatial variability that frequently contrasts with global trends. Investigating sea level variations in semi-enclosed basins such as the Black Sea is crucial for elucidating regional responses to climate change and characterizing its unique spatiotemporal evolution patterns. In this study, we employ satellite altimetry (SA) data to study sea level changes, spatial variability, and seasonal patterns in the Black Sea over eight distinct time periods with temporally correlated noise, and our results show good consistency with existing studies. The results show that sea level changes are non-linear over time and exhibit spatial variability in the Black Sea. The estimated sea level trend fluctuates over brief intervals, but extended time series provide reduced uncertainty in the trend and more precise estimation over a 28-year time series. The annual amplitude and phase derived from virtual altimetry data (1993–2020) exhibit a distinct seasonal pattern, with peak sea levels typically occurring between November and February. Furthermore, to reduce the uncertainty induced by noise in the sea surface height (SSH) time series, principal component analysis (PCA) was utilized to denoise the SSH data from 1993 to 2020, yielding a sea level trend of 1.76 ± 0.56 mm/yr. Denoising reduced the trend uncertainty by 57%, decreased the root mean square error of the SSH series by 5.06 mm, and decreased the annual amplitude by 23.35%.
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spelling doaj-art-feabb7011b1a4da690840aeec397e3d82025-08-20T03:16:42ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922025-06-011713222810.3390/rs17132228Spatial Variation and Uncertainty Analysis of Black Sea Level Change from Virtual Altimetry Stations over 1993–2020Yuxuan Fan0Shunqiang Hu1Xiwen Sun2Xiaoxing He3Jianhao Zhang4Wei Jin5Yu Liao6Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Water Ecological Conservation in Headwater Regions (2023SSY02031), Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, 1958 Ke-Jia Road, Ganzhou 341000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, ChinaSchool of Surveying and Geoinformation Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, ChinaJiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Water Ecological Conservation in Headwater Regions (2023SSY02031), Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, 1958 Ke-Jia Road, Ganzhou 341000, ChinaJiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Water Ecological Conservation in Headwater Regions (2023SSY02031), Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, 1958 Ke-Jia Road, Ganzhou 341000, ChinaJiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Water Ecological Conservation in Headwater Regions (2023SSY02031), Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, 1958 Ke-Jia Road, Ganzhou 341000, ChinaJiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Water Ecological Conservation in Headwater Regions (2023SSY02031), Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, 1958 Ke-Jia Road, Ganzhou 341000, ChinaGlobal mean sea level has been rising steadily since the early 1990s, yet regional sea level changes exhibit complex spatial variability that frequently contrasts with global trends. Investigating sea level variations in semi-enclosed basins such as the Black Sea is crucial for elucidating regional responses to climate change and characterizing its unique spatiotemporal evolution patterns. In this study, we employ satellite altimetry (SA) data to study sea level changes, spatial variability, and seasonal patterns in the Black Sea over eight distinct time periods with temporally correlated noise, and our results show good consistency with existing studies. The results show that sea level changes are non-linear over time and exhibit spatial variability in the Black Sea. The estimated sea level trend fluctuates over brief intervals, but extended time series provide reduced uncertainty in the trend and more precise estimation over a 28-year time series. The annual amplitude and phase derived from virtual altimetry data (1993–2020) exhibit a distinct seasonal pattern, with peak sea levels typically occurring between November and February. Furthermore, to reduce the uncertainty induced by noise in the sea surface height (SSH) time series, principal component analysis (PCA) was utilized to denoise the SSH data from 1993 to 2020, yielding a sea level trend of 1.76 ± 0.56 mm/yr. Denoising reduced the trend uncertainty by 57%, decreased the root mean square error of the SSH series by 5.06 mm, and decreased the annual amplitude by 23.35%.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/13/2228Black Seasea level trenduncertaintysatellite altimetry
spellingShingle Yuxuan Fan
Shunqiang Hu
Xiwen Sun
Xiaoxing He
Jianhao Zhang
Wei Jin
Yu Liao
Spatial Variation and Uncertainty Analysis of Black Sea Level Change from Virtual Altimetry Stations over 1993–2020
Remote Sensing
Black Sea
sea level trend
uncertainty
satellite altimetry
title Spatial Variation and Uncertainty Analysis of Black Sea Level Change from Virtual Altimetry Stations over 1993–2020
title_full Spatial Variation and Uncertainty Analysis of Black Sea Level Change from Virtual Altimetry Stations over 1993–2020
title_fullStr Spatial Variation and Uncertainty Analysis of Black Sea Level Change from Virtual Altimetry Stations over 1993–2020
title_full_unstemmed Spatial Variation and Uncertainty Analysis of Black Sea Level Change from Virtual Altimetry Stations over 1993–2020
title_short Spatial Variation and Uncertainty Analysis of Black Sea Level Change from Virtual Altimetry Stations over 1993–2020
title_sort spatial variation and uncertainty analysis of black sea level change from virtual altimetry stations over 1993 2020
topic Black Sea
sea level trend
uncertainty
satellite altimetry
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/13/2228
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