Short period sea level oscillations at Strait of Gibraltar: Observations versus model results

Tide gauge records from different ports of the Strait of Gibraltar area show events of short period oscillations (minutes to tens of minutes) that persist for several days although its charactestic duration is of the order of a day. These events are observed throughout the year although, when characterized by variables that account for their amplitude and duration simultaneously, they are biased toward summer months.The frequencies of these oscillations, which accumulate energy within bands centered at 7.5, 12, 19, 25 min−1, are characteristic of each port, with Tarifa showing a more selective tuning than Ceuta or Algeciras. The numerical model developed to investigate these oscillations confirms that they correspond to harbor resonance excited at the mouth of the port by oscillations in the Strait.