VANIMEDAT project (decadal and interdecadal variability of sea level in the Mediterranean and Northeast Atlantic) was funded by the Ministry of Education and Science, in the framework of the National Program of Marine Science and Technology. This three-year-project focused on the study of sea level variability in the waters around the Iberian Peninsula during the last decades, paying special attention to the calculation of trends and characterization of the physical processes responsible for variability observed.

The main objectives of the project were:

  1. Describe long-term sea level variability (from seasonal to interdecadal cycle) in the Mediterranean Sea and the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. This was done using data from tide gauges and altimetry observed.

  2. Quantify the contribution of different forcings acting on the sea level, namely:

    * The mechanics of atmospheric forcing, ie, atmospheric pressure and wind.
    * The steric contribution (change in volume due to temperature and salinity variability).
    * Changes in mass due to changes in ice cover and the balance between evaporation, precipitation and river runoff.

Correlation between the coast (ports) and the open sea was studied and also the mechanisms causing this variability were identified and quantified .

The project finished in 2009.