ABSTRACT
On February, 1 1986 at 01 h EMT an hourly sea level height that surpassed corresponding long-term average by 96 cm was recorded at the Bakar tide-gauge station located on the Croatian coast of the Adriatic Sea (Fig. 1.1). This is one of the largest elevations measured at the station during almost 50 years of continuous operation. As is well known, such episodes bring about the flooding of the north Adriatic coast, with the city of Venice being particularly vulnerable [1]. On the positive side, high (but not too high) sea levels may be beneficial for the operation of ports and, in particular, the maneuverability of the large-draught ships in the port of Bakar improves considerably when the sea level is at its maximum [2]. Consequently, an understanding of sea level variability is not only challenging from the scientific point of view, but is highly applicable as well-particularly having in mind expected rise of sea level during the next century.
