Abstract:
Abstract:
This work aims at determining extreme water levels associ
ated with different return periods
through the development and application of a circulation mo
del for tides and surges. The model
covers a large portion of the NE Atlantic, and has a res
olution of 250 m in the Portuguese shelf. The
model was extensively validated for tides, surges and extreme s
ea levels. In the Portuguese shelf,
RMS errors of tides are of the order of 5 cm, and the mo
del under-estimates extreme water levels by
about 10 cm. Simulation of water levels between 1979 and
2010, followed by a statistical analysis of
the results, provided the relation between return perio
ds and extreme levels along the Portuguese
coast. Results reveal the growth of extreme water level
s from south to north.