Sea-level dependence on the NAO over the NW European Continental Shelf

[1] The connection between changes in the North Atlantic Oscillation ( NAO) and the sea level over the northwest European continental shelf is investigated for the period 1955 - 2000 using a two-dimensional model of tides and storm surges. There is a clear spatial pattern in the correlation between sea level and the NAO on a winter-mean timescale. Correlations are positive (> 0.8) in the northeast and negative (< - 0.7) in the south. The sensitivity of the sea level to the NAO is strongest in the southern North Sea ( up to 96 mm per unit NAO index), where most of the sensitivity is present also in the non-hydrostatic component of sea level. The relationships are validated using observed data recorded at coastal tide gauges.