Global Mean Sea Level Variation on Interannual–Decadal Timescales: Climatic Connections

The global mean sea level (GMSL) has been measured precisely by the space geodetic remote-sensing technique of radar altimetry since 1990s. Aside from well-studied seasonality and secular rise, here we focus on GMSL variation interannual–decadal (ID) timescales (GMSL-ID) investigate influences climatic oscillations as physical causes. We conduct correlation analyses GMSL-ID time series with several represented their respective meteorological indices, including El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal (PDO), Atlantic Multidecadal (AMO), Arctic (AO), Antarctic (AAO). From time-domain cross-correlation functions corresponding frequency-domain cross-coherence spectra, find following: (i) high between ENSO, primarily befalling Central-Pacific (as opposed to Eastern-Pacific) type longer than 1.5 years; (ii) moderate correlations PDO long-period over 4 years, AMO a timescale 2–10 leading in phase 8 months; (iii) weak or practically no either AO AAO, former case given fact that our data actually do not cover sea. Finally, least-squares fit above five indices assess relative contribution each oscillation causing observed GMSL-ID, for better understanding under on-going climate change.