Port of Brest

 

The first measurements date back to 1679. They were made by astronomers Jean Picard and Philippe de la Hire. The first automatic recorder (tide gauge) was installed in 1846 by Hydrographic Engineer Remi Chazallon. It remained operational for almost 100 years until 1944, when the town was bombed and it was destroyed. This series spanning nearly 300 years was reconstructed by N. Pouvreau in his thesis, making the Brest sea level record the longest in France and possibly in the world.

 

 

To find out more:

• Tide gauging technology at "Tonnerres de Brest"

 

References

• Pouvreau N. (2008). Trois cents ans de mesures marégraphiques en France : outils, méthodes et tendances des composantes du niveau de la mer au port de Brest. Thèse de doctorat de l'université de la Rochelle, soutenue le 26 septembre 2008, 466 pp.
• Wöppelmann G., N. Pouvreau, B. Simon (2006). Brest sea level record : a time series construction back to the early eighteenth century. Ocean Dynamics, Vol. 56, N5-6, 487-497 (11), doi:10.1007/s10236-005-0044-z.
• Wöppelmann G., N. Pouvreau, A. Coulomb, B. Simon, P. Woodworth (2008). Tide gauge datum continuity at Brest since 1711 : France's longest sea level record. Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L22605, doi:1029/2008GL035783.

 

 

Last updated: 06/12/2013