Author(s): Quang-Hung Luu; Pavel Tkalich; Tze-Wei Tay
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Keywords: Malaysian coasts; East Sea of Vietnam/South China Sea; Sea level rise; El Ni? o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO); Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)
Abstract: Malaysia consists of two major parts, a mainland on the Peninsular Malaysia and the East Malaysia on the Borneo Island. Their surrounding waters connect the Andaman Sea located northeast of the Indian Ocean to the Celebes Sea in the western tropical Pacific Ocean through the southern East Sea of Vietnam/South China Sea. As a result, inter-annual sea level in the Malaysian waters is governed by various regional phenomena associated with the adjacent parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Gappy tide gauge data are utilized for the analysis of sea level trend and variability. To improve accuracy we noted and utilized correlation between sea level and climate variables; for instance, it is found that annual sea levels are modulated by the El Ni? o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the range of±5 cm and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) with the magnitude of±2 cm. Latest vertical land movements have been acquired to derive absolute sea level rise (SLR) rates. Around the Peninsular Malaysia, absolute SLR rates in waters of Malacca Strait and eastern Peninsular Malaysia during 1984-2011 are found to be 3.2±4.2 mm/year and 3.6±3.2 mm/year, respectively; while in the East Malaysia waters the rate during 1988-2011 is 6.3±5.6mm/year. These rates are higher than global tendency for the same periods. These in situ values were consistent with values archived from satellite altimetry for the common period 1993-2011. From the analysis, our study further suggested the existence of a narrow topographic constriction off Singapore that separate sea level variabilities along the coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
Year: 2014