Publications scientifiques

We present a new 300-year sea-level reconstruction from a salt marsh on the Isle of Wight (central English Channel, UK) that we compare to other salt-marsh and long tide-gauge records to examine spatial and temporal variability in sea-level change in the North Atlantic. Our new reconstruction identifies an overall rise in relative sea level (RSL) of c. 0.30 m since the start of the eighteenth century at a rate of

A three-dimensional wave-current model is used to investigate wave-induced circulations in a small estuarine bay and its impact on freshwater exchanges with the inner shelf, related to stratified river plume dispersion. Modeled salinity fields exhibit a lower salinity surface layer due to river outflows, with typical depth of 1 m inside the bay. The asymmetric wave forcing on the bay circulation, related to the local bathymetry, significantly impacts the river plumes.

Measuring sea-level in a global reference frame with sub-centimeter accuracy is a relevant challenge in the context of current global warming and associated sea-level rise. Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) can provide sea-level measurements directly referenced in an absolute geocentric frame. We present here the results of a multi-instruments experiment with three buoys equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS), a radar tide gauge and a tide pole. This experiment was carried out at Aix Island (West coast of France) on the 27-28 March 2012.

Satellite altimetry, measuring sea surface heights (SSHs), has unique capabilities to provide information about the ocean dynamics. In this paper, the skill of the original full rate (10/20 Hz) measurements, relative to conventional 1-Hz data, is evaluated in the context of coastal studies in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea. The performance and the question of the measurement noise are quantified through a comparison with different tide gauge sea level time series.

Cuspate shoreline or megacusps, having alongshore lengths of 100-1000 m, are features widely described, and several theories were proposed for their formation and evolution (edge waves, self-organization). Their dynamics is often related with rip-currents migration, crescentic nearshore bars evolution, even if the relationship between shoreline rhythms and inner-bar pattern appears to be extremely variable. An Argus video monitoring system was deployed in 2011 at Sète beach (French Mediterranean).

A detection algorithm aimed at analysing localized intermittent oscillations in sea level time series and identifying meteotsunami events is presented. The algorithm is based on wavelet analysis of high frequency sea level oscillations recorded by tide gauges. Detection thresholds are fixed both for oscillation amplitude and averaged power spectral density for each tide-gauge station. This method is tested on different historic meteotsunami events and during the large event of 26 July 2012.

Chapters detail tidal theory, tide gauges measurements, techniques of tidal signal treatment. The book provides also an overview of some applications like barotropic tidal current. A French and an English translation of the books are available. Pour les personnes intéressées par l’observation, l’analyse et la prédiction des variations du niveau marin pour les besoins de la navigation maritime, de l’hydrographie et des aménagements côtiers, l’ouvrage « La marée océanique côtière » présente les fondements de l’étude des marées océaniques et ses applications en zone côtière.

L’instruction du Premier ministre relative à l’observation du niveau de la mer et à la gestion et la diffusion des données en résultant désigne le SHOM comme le référent national pour l’observation in situ en marégraphie.