Tides, Seiches and Low-Frequency Oscillations

Abstract

Compared to the North Atlantic Ocean, tides in the Mediterranean Sea are relatively weak. The highest tide occurs in the Gulf of Gabes (along Tunisia), where the amplitude of the M2 tide reaches 51 cm, and the next highest tides are found in the northern Adriatic Sea (Defant, 1961; Tsimplis et al., 1995). Tidal elevations have been measured along the Adriatic since the Middle Ages, but continuous monitoring had to wait until the advent of modern instrumentation. Tides gauges were installed along the Adriatic shore quite early, although the majority did not remain in continuous operation, except those of Trieste (since 1859) and of Venice (since 1871). A network was eventually established in 1954. Long-time series of tidal elevations are therefore available.