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On the use of long-term observation of water level and temperature along the shore for a better understanding of the dynamics: example of Toulon area, France

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Abstract

A dense network of instruments has been deployed within harbors along the Mediterranean coast, in the Toulon Metropole area, between the Hyères islands and the Sanary Bay in the framework of the observation network HTM-NET. Each station is equipped with two piezometric sensors, the first immersed and the second emerged, which allows the calculation of the water level. Both piezometric sensors are also equipped with a temperature sensor. Water level and temperature data are analyzed and discussed, also considering meteorological data provided by Météo-France stations. The tide gauges provide information about tide harmonic components, extreme water level, and seiching. Moreover, significant differences are observed between sheltered zones in enclosed bays and offshore zones, such as between the back of the Bay of Toulon and at the Port-Cros Island. Differences in water level up to 0.10 m are indeed observed under windy conditions, of the same order as the tidal range (order of 0.20 m) or the annual level variability due to the volumetric expansion (order of 0.10 m). Water level variations, up to about 1 m, are found to be mainly due to atmospheric effects, with a more or less isostatic behavior according to the weather events. In addition, seiching with an amplitude of few centimeters is observed within the Little Bay of Toulon, for east wind conditions. The near-surface water temperature is measured at the submerged piezometer location (depth of immersion range 0.10–1.80 m according to the station and to the water level). The analysis of the temperature associated with the weather conditions allows to detail a strong variability of the upwelling intensity under Mistral wind conditions in summer, leading to more or less pronounced temperature drops according to the shore configuration. The Bay of Toulon is more prone to the generation of upwellings than the neighboring bays. During winter, water exchanges between the Little Bay of Toulon and offshore are also clearly observed during windy conditions. The HTM-NET long-term observation network thus provides useful insights to increase our knowledge of the hydrodynamics and mass fluxes, and therefore enhances our modeling capacity and risk assessment at the scale of a bay.

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Data availability

Data on relative water levels of the HTM-NET network stations and the water level with respect to the reference level NGF (official altimetric reference in the French continental metropolitan territory) of the tide gauge of Toulon, operated by the Shom, can be downloaded from the website DATA.SHOM.FR.

Data from the last 60 days of temperature, water level, and atmospheric pressure of the HTM-NET network stations are displayed on the website of the network: https://htmnet.mio.osupytheas.fr. Data of water and air temperature, and water and air pressure are available on request, on the catalogue of the Pytheas observatory https://dataset.osupytheas.fr/geonetwork/srv/fre/catalog.search#/metadata/7d538d6b-dd15-42af-9de7-c9eac27a840d.

Meteorological data are available on request on the dedicated website of Météo-France, the French national meteorological and climatological service, https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/.

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Acknowledgments

Financial supports from the Toulon Metropole (Contracts HTM-NET, OLBIA, CAPTILE) and from the French national scientific programs SOERE and DYNALIT- ILICO on the long-term observation of the coastline are acknowledged. The French National park of Port-Cros (PNPC), Toulon Metropole and the city of Hyères are acknowledged for the installation of the stations, the French Navy service Shom for its collaboration and MétéoFrance for the meteorological data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université de Toulon, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), UM 110, 83041, Toulon Cedex 09, France

    Vincent Rey, Jean-Luc Fuda, Didier Mallarino, Tathy Missamou, Caroline Paugam, Gilles Rougier & Isabelle Taupier-Letage

  2. Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), OSU PYTHEAS, UM 110, 13288, Marseille, France

    Vincent Rey, Jean-Luc Fuda, Didier Mallarino, Tathy Missamou, Caroline Paugam, Gilles Rougier & Isabelle Taupier-Letage

  3. Université du Québec à Rimouski, Institut des Sciences de la Mer (UQAR-ISMER), Rimouski, Canada

    Christiane Dufresne

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  1. Vincent Rey
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  2. Christiane Dufresne
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  3. Jean-Luc Fuda
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Correspondence to Vincent Rey.

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Responsible Editor: Sandro Carniel

Highlights

- Dense network of instruments for the measurement of water level and sub-surface temperature along the Mediterranean coast, in the Toulon Metropole area.

- Recovering of tide harmonic components (tide range of about 0.20 m), storm surges and extreme water level (up to 1.00 m), steric dilatation effects (of order 0.10 m). Comparisons between the island of Port-Cros (“offshore”) and the little bay of Toulon evidence water level variations up to about 0.10 m, under some windy conditions.

- Seiching of period 45 min with an amplitude of few centimeters observed within the little bay of Toulon, for east wind conditions.

- Analysis of variation of the temperature associated with the meteorological conditions evidences the presence of upwellings in Mistral wind conditions in summer, with significant differences along the coast according to the shore configuration.

- During winter, water exchanges between the little bay of Toulon and offshore are also clearly observed.

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Rey, V., Dufresne, C., Fuda, JL. et al. On the use of long-term observation of water level and temperature along the shore for a better understanding of the dynamics: example of Toulon area, France. Ocean Dynamics 70, 913–933 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-020-01363-7

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