%0 Journal Article
%A Alfredini, Paolo
%A Arasaki, Emilia
%A Fortner, Eric
%T Behavior of Sea Level in the Period of 1980 to 2017 on the Port Area of Gulf of MaranhĂŁo, Brazil
%J TransNav, the International Journal on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation
%V 15
%N 3
%P 683-686
%D 2021
%U ./Article_Behavior_of_Sea_Level_in_the_Period_Alfredini,59,1164.html
%X The Gulf of MaranhĂLo, North Coast of Brazil, is one of the regions in the world with largest tidal ranges. The Port Area of MaranhĂLo, in SĂLo Marcos Bay, represents the second most important in Brazil. The port facilities are naturally sheltered from swell, with nautical operations and maintenance dredging volumes directly conditioned by macro-tides, which exceed the 6.0 m tidal range, and associated tidal currents, which can reach 7.0 knots. In order to assess the behavior of sea levels in recent decades, in view of the influence of climate changes on tides in various ports around the world, a period of two lunar nodal tidal cycles of 18.61 years, from 1980 to 2017, was investigated using unpublished data recorded in tide gauges. The trend pattern obtained was analyzed statistically and, unlike many other port areas, a sensitive stability of the mean sea level was noted. An important conclusion is about the reduction in HHW and increasing in LLW, leading to a reduction in tidal ranges, in tidal currents and a significant reduction of the shear stress in the bottom, which may increase the dredging rates in the port areas in the next decades, due to an increasing siltation.
%@ 2083-6473
%R 10.12716/1001.15.03.24