Sea Level Tidal Attributes in Port Said Harbor, Eastern Egyptian Mediterranean Coast

Abstract

Observed sea level data attained from a pressure sensor tide gauge, installed inside Port Said harbor in Egypt, was utilized to modernize tidal characteristics and surges in the study area. Five years of hourly sea level dataset (June 2010 to June 2015) were analyzed using the harmonic analysis approach of Delft-3D Tide suit. The results of the analysis revealed that the semi-diurnal constituents (M2, S2), together with the solar annual (Sa) dominate tide behavior in the area. Furthermore, a semidiurnal tidal regime by a ratio of 0.21 is based on the form factor (FF) equation. Moreover, tidal asymmetry (Ar.) shows a flood tide with a short period of a value equal to 0.01068 > 0.01, which reflects a tide wave distortion. From power spectral analysis, the sea-level change is controlled by both the significant tidal and non-tidal (storm surge) components by almost an equal percentage of 50.63 % and 49.37 % respectively. Additionally, the residual from sea level harmonic analysis was annually correlated with the meteorological parameters of wind, temperature, and atmospheric pressure to estimate their effect on Sea-Level Rise (SLR). A small positive trend line of SL was distinguished in the years from 2011 to 2015 by approximately (2 mm/yr.) due to the weak correlation of meteorological parameters, in conjunction with a conventional relationship with atmospheric pressure and temperature. In 2010, a slight negative linear tendency was noticed of 0.3 mm/yr., which can be related to the direct proportional relation of atmospheric pressure and surge component, besides an inversely proportional relation of air temperature and residual component, regardless of the weak correlation with wind vector. Overall, the research provides insights into the tidal characteristics, surges, and sea-level rise in Port Said Harbor. Understanding these attributes serves the objective of this paper to assess the impact of sea-level rise and develop appropriate adaptation strategies in coastal areas