Sea level variability in the Mediterranean Sea during the 1990s on the basis of two 2d and one 3d model

The sea level rise in the 1990s at the Mediterranean Sea as evidenced by satellite altimetry is studied with the aid of ocean models. Two barotropic two dimensional (2d) models and one three dimensional (3d) model are used. Both 2d models indicate that the contribution of direct atmospheric forcing causes localised trends of up to 2 mm/yr. The 3d model successfully describes the evolution in temperature of the upper and intermediate waters. However the salinity changes are not well described. The steric contribution of sea level rise during this period is in places in excess of 10 mm/yr. Notably oceanic circulation is also found to contribute to sea level trends by up to -3 mm/yr. Thus the observed sea level changes in the 1990s are better understood. The exceptional nature of the sea level behaviour in 1990s, especially in the eastern basin, when compared with previous decades is confirmed on the basis of both the 2d and the 3d models. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.