New method for reconstructing sea level from tide gauges using satellite altimetry

Cyclostationary empirical orthogonal functions, derived from satellite altimetry, are combined with historical sea level measurements from tide gauges to estimate nearly-global monthly sea level fields from 1900-2010. The reconstructed global mean sea level is shown to compare favorably with the satellite altimetry over the period from 1993-2010. The trend in global mean sea level for the fully reconstructed data record is 1.4 mm/yr. This reconstruction shows improvement over previously published reconstructions in its robust ability to capture sea level variability associated with the modulated annual cycle and El Nino-Southern Oscillation signals.