Sea Level Change in the East China Sea Inferred from Satellite Gravimetry, Altimetry and Steric Datasets

Regional sea level variations in the East China Sea (ECS) are estimated from multiple datasets, including satellite gravimetry, altimetry and steric datasets, and the sea level budget is investigated in terms of linear trends, annual and semiannual amplitudes and phases over the period April 2002 to December 2020 by considering the sediment factor. The results show that the seasonal ECS sea level change is primarily influenced by steric factors. However, the combined effect of seawater mass and sediment changes contribute 3.10±0.28 mm/year to the altimetry observed total ECS sea level change rate of 3.38±0.35 mm/year, while the steric effect accounts for only 0.19±0.16 mm/year of the total amount based on the average of seven steric datasets. Therefore, the regional sea level budget in the ECS can be effectively closed by correcting the previously overestimated sediment change rate caused by a mismodeled sediment density.