Multiple processes causing sea‐level rise in the central Mediterranean

Our analysis of a series of sea‐level records along the Italian coast of the Adriatic sea indicates a sea‐level rise not attributable to a global eustatic signal, but rather to the combined effects of active tectonics and Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (henceforth GIA). The highest predicted sea‐level rise, of the order of 0.9–1.0 mm/yr, occurs in proximity of the city of Ravenna, in the northern sector of the Adriatic sea, decreasing to 0.4–0.5 mm/yr in the northernmost and southern parts of the Adriatic sea. While GIA is the dominant mechanism of sea‐level rise in the southern sector of the Adriatic sea, active tectonics and GIA contribute a comparable amount in the north. Our results are of importance for quantitative estimates of trends of sea‐level changes in a part of the Mediterranean, the northern Adriatic sea, where the historical cities of Venice and Ravenna are severely exposed to sea‐level rise.