Sea Level Characteristics and Return Periods at Port Said Harbour, Egypt

The present paper sheds light on the main sea level characteristics and the sea level return periods at Port Said Harbour of Egypt. This type of analysis is important for coastal structure designing, development and mitigation. The work is based on hourly sea level records at Port Said Harbour over eight years (2003–2010). Tidal analysis showed that tides at Port Said Harbour are of mixed mainly semidiurnal type, with 13 cm amplitude for the principal lunar constituent (M₂). Results also revealed a mean sea level of 67 cm, a ratio of 1.5 between spring and neap tidal ranges and an annual rate of sea level rise of 4.8 mm/yr. Return periods of 100 and 112 years were calculated for the sea levels of 25 cm and 100 cm, respectively.