Sea level variability and trends in the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem

Abstract

This article describes different aspects of sea level variability for the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) based on previous publications and existing data from both tide gauges (mainly from the Canary Islands, due to the lack of information in the African coastline) and satellite altimeter. An increase of the rate of mean sea level rise since the 1990s is found from tide gauge data, which is coherent with global studies. The uncertainty of these trends is addressed by comparison with nearby altimetry data, revealing a general high correlation but a significant difference in the trend. The latter should be further explored and complemented with monitoring the vertical land movement at the tide gauges in the future. Analysis of the spatial variations of sea level variability and trends in the CCLME is performed from altimetry data: confirmation is found of the main oceanographic features in the region as well as larger trends of mean sea level since 1992 in the southern part of the domain.