Seasonal variations of the sea level in the central part of the Red Sea

Seasonal sea-level changes at two coastal stations, Jeddah and Port Sudan, display higher levels in winter and lower levels in summer, showing a coherence over a distance of 300 km. The amplitude of these changes is slightly higher at Jeddah compared with that of Port Sudan. Analysis of wind stress indicates that the cross-shore component plays a dominant role in the sea-level changes at Port Sudan in contrast to Jeddah where a major part of the changes can be accounted for by the long-shore component.