Is this building more than just a structure? Yes. It’s the Antalya TUDES Mareograf İstasyonu. This station plays a vital role in monitoring sea levels. Let’s explore its history.
The Antalya TUDES Mareograf İstasyonu has a long history. Sea level monitoring in Turkey began in the 1930s. In 1935, the General Command of Mapping installed the first tide gauge in Antalya harbor. It helped determine the vertical datum.
In 1937, responsibility shifted to the General Directorate of Meteorological Affairs. They installed several float-operated tide gauges. These were in Karadeniz Ereğlisi, İskenderun, Trabzon, Samsun and Bodrum.
By 1983, the responsibility returned to the General Command of Mapping. The older stations were not producing reliable data. So, the GCM installed four new float-operated stations. These were in Erdek, Antalya-II, Bodrum-II, and Menteş.
The GCM replaced these with acoustic tide gauges in 1998 and 1999. This established the Turkish National Sea Level Monitoring System or TUDES. Precise leveling ensured data continuity. It connected the floated operated and acoustic systems.
Today, TUDES has 11 tide gauges. They measure sea level and meteorological data. This includes air pressure, air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction. The system samples data every 10 seconds. It averages it over 15 minutes. The data is saved and sent to a data center. Here, it undergoes quality control and analysis.
The Antalya TUDES Mareograf İstasyonu is important for several reasons. It helps determine the vertical datum of Turkey’s vertical control network. It also monitors long-term sea level variations. Data is transferred twice a week from TUDES tide gauges. Anomalies and errors are checked. The data is quality controlled using specific software.
Monthly mean sea level data is submitted to PSMSL yearly. Hourly data from Antalya-I and Antalya-II has been provided to ESEAS. The GCM continues to provide hourly sea level values of the Antalya-II tide gauge to ESEAS.
The TUDES sites are regularly surveyed. This ensures sea level datum consistency. GPS campaigns and precise leveling measurements are performed. This helps estimate vertical land movements.
The GCM participated in the European Sea Level Service. It was a partner in the ESEAS Research Infrastructure project. The GCM acted as an ESEAS CGPS analysis center. It analyzed GPS data from ESEAS tide gauge CGPS stations. The GCM also studied sea level variations in the Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
The station in Antalya is more than a building. It is a critical part of Turkey’s sea level monitoring. It contributes to international research efforts. It helps us understand our changing oceans. The Antalya TUDES Mareograf İstasyonu supports heights system modernization.