Surface Pressure and Wind Stress Effects on Sea Level Change Estimations from TOPEX/Poseidon Satellite Altimetry in the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract Using the classical inverse barometer (IB) correction and the Modele d’Onde de Gravite a 2 Dimensions (MOG2D) barotropic model in the Mediterranean Sea during the 1993–2002 period, it is shown that surface pressure and wind stress forcing significantly contribute to sea level elevation variations observed with Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/Poseidon (T/P) satellite altimetry. The barotropic model allows the authors to estimate the high-frequency atmospheric ocean response that is aliased into the altimetric sea level. Applying the model barotropic correction allows them to reduce the T/P standard deviation by a mean of 21% over the whole basin, whereas the classical IB correction reduces the standard deviation by only 16%. The trend in sea level rise is also strongly affected due to the aliasing effect, especially when short periods are considered. On a 3-yr period, the correction associated with either of these two models can reach 10–12 mm yr−1. Applying the barotropic model correction rat...