6
600 cm. The zero level of tide gauges is PN=NN-500 cm in Schleswig-Holstein and in
Poland, and PN=HN-514 cm in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
In Poland, Majewski et al. (1983) defined a storm surge as a hydrological situation in which
the sea level reaches or exceeds 570 cm (for comparison: the alarm level at Swinoujscie and
Kotobrzeg is set at 580 cm, and at Wismar, Warnemünde and Sassnitz at 600 cm).
On that basis, 73 storm surges from the period 1976-2000 (Table 1.1.) were selected during
which a level of 590 cm had been either reached or surpassed at Wismar, Warnemünde and
Sassnitz, and a level of 570 cm at Swinoujscie and Kotobrzeg. The selection of events
meeting this requirement with respect to the German water gauges was done by H.-J. Stigge
at BSH Rostock, and with respect to the Polish water gauges by M. Sztobryn, B. Kowalska,
K. Krzysztofik and A. Kahska.
Table 1.1. Calendar of storm surges in the western and central parts of the southern Baltic
Sea coast in 1976-2000
No.
Gauge Swinoujscie
Daily
reference
level in cm
Maximum value of the surge
in cm
Beginning of
surge
End of surge
Duration of
surge
in hours
Wismar
Warnemünde
Sassnitz
Swinoujscie
Kotobrzeg
1
03.01.76
04.01.76
39
548
640
630
608
628
616
2
17.01.76
17.01.76
13
550
598
590
599
616
600
3
24.12.76
27.12.76
61
490
611
593
590
605
602
4
03.01.78
05.01.78
39
523
620
602
591
583
602
5
28.11.78
01.12.78
65
554
607
596
595
-
592
6
13.02.79
16.02.79
85
510
663
629
585
570
532
7
11.12.79
12.12.79
43
534
627
611
583
575
563
8
28.11.80
30.11.80
50
527
598
587
582
588
573
9
16.12.80
17.12.80
14
557
581
577
574
570
584
10
05.11.81
09.11.81
93
535
594
588
586
600
594
11
30.11.81
02.12.81
57
552
600
588
581
591
581
12
06.01.82
08.01.82
48
514
616
598
590
585
574
13
19.01.83
20.01.83
34
577
634
617
624
623
640
14
21.01.83
22.01.83
22
553
567
564
577
573
585
15
31.01.83
31.01.83
19
556
572
567
587
580
586
16
02.02.83
05.02.83
24
568
613
608
619
599
627
17
06.02.83
09.02.83
81
553
651
632
605
583
579
18
25.09.83
25.09.83
17
559
600
592
601
591
600
19
27.11.83
29.11.83
39
552
646
634
619
611
612
20
29.11.83
01.12.83
44
561
606
592
578
582
565
21
09.12.83
11.12.83
34
530
613
594
590
601
596
22
09.01.84
09.01.84
22
561
615
602
602
596
595
23
20.01.86
20.01.86
11
537
564
556
561
590
588
24
20.10.86
21.10.86
20
509
619
606
555
590
599
25
19.12.86
21.12.86
46
520
641
627
609
613
612
26
22.12.86
23.12.86
47
545
603
592
577
580
577
27
08.01.87
10.01.87
34
509
611
600
605
612
609
28
11.01.87
13.01.87
82
519
673
642
614
599
552
29
02.11.88
04.11.88
48
496
630
616
610
582
590
30
29.11.88
01.12.88
38
522
647
628
620
621
642
31
14.12.88
15.12.88
39
536
611
600
583
597
600
32
19.12.88
20.12.88
23
534
620
607
594
604
604
33
24.12.88
25.12.88
21
554
585
576
572
593
597
34
31.12.88
01.01.89
21
509
597
580
581
585
587
35
02.10.89
04.10.89
44
519
610
601
576
600
592
