Do tidal harmonic constants depend on mean sea level? An investigation for the Gulf of Trieste

The correlation between the mean sea level and the main seven tidal harmonic constants is investigated on the basis of 648 monthly observations, from 1939 to 1992, taken in the Gulf of Trieste. Some statistically significant correlations are singled out when the considered time interval is divided into classes of 54 corresponding months. These results allow us to conjecture that the observed variability of the harmonic constants is partially originated by the monthly mean-sea-level fluctuations, modulated by the meteorological regime.