Inter-annual sea level variability in the southern Gulf of Mexico (1966–1976)

• Published in: Geophysical research letters Vol. 33; no. 8; pp. L08610 - n/a
• Main Authors: David Alberto Salas-de-León, María Adela Monreal-Gómez, David Salas-Monreal, Mayra Lorena Riveron-Enzastiga, Norma Leticia Sánchez-Santillan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Geophysical Union 01.04.2006; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Abrupt/rapid climate change; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Global Change; Impacts of global change; Marine; Oceanography; Physical; Remote sensing; Sea level; Sea level change; variations and mean; North Atlantic; Gulf of Mexico; Northwest Atlantic; North American Atlantic; ASW, Mexico, Veracruz, Tuxpan; ASW, Mexico Gulf; Oscillation modes; trend-surface analysis; accumulation; Atlantic Ocean; Variability; Time series; Summer; Critical point; slopes; Kelvin wave; depressions; Winter; winds; low-pass filters; oscillations; sea level
• ISSN: 0094-8276; 1944-8007
• DOI: 10.1029/2006GL025832

Hourly time series at seven locations throughout the southern Gulf of Mexico were used to calculate the trend and the inter‐annual sea level. The sea level series from January 1966 to December 1976 were filtered using a Lanczos low pass filter to remove oscillations with periods smaller than one year. The results revealed a sea level increment of about 1.4 mm yr−1 from 1966 to 1976 in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The monthly sea level variability obtained after the trends were removed, presented a sea level setup during winter and a sea level depression in summer attributed to seasonal wind conditions. The horizontal representation of averaged sea level in the southern Gulf of Mexico presented a saddle critical point. The associated sea level slope indicated water accumulation at Ciudad Madero in the western side of the gulf and Coatzacoalcos in the southernmost station, and sea level depressions at Tuxpan and Progreso in the southwestern and southeastern side of the gulf, respectively. Nevertheless, one of the most intriguing result is the presence of a Kelvin wave with a two mode oscillation axis that goes from Progreso to Tuxpan.