Recently extended sea level data from a set of 18 tide gauges on the English Channel have been used to determine whether changes in extreme sea levels during the twentieth-century were significantly different from that observed in mean sea level. At each site the sea level records have been split into mean sea level, tidal and non-tidal components and these have been analysed separately for significant trends. Mean sea-level increased by between 1 and 3mm/yr along the English Channel coastline. There is also weak evidence for a small increase in predicted mean high water and mean tidal range at some sites. The rates of these changes are about an order of magnitude smaller than those observed in mean sea level. There is considerable decadal variability in storminess but no discernable long-term trends. Hence, mean sea level rise in the English Channel has driven increases in extreme sea levels during the 20th Century.
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