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Coastal sea level is observed at tide gauge stations, which usually also serve as height reference stations for national networks. One of the main issues with using tide gauge data for sea level research is that only a few stations are connected to permanent GNSS stations needed to correct for vertical land motion. As a new observation technique, absolute positioning by SAR using off the shelf active radar transponders can be installed instead. SAR data for the year 2020 are collected at 12 stations in the Baltic Sea area, which are co-located to tide gauges or permanent GNSS stations. From the SAR data, 3D coordinates are estimated and jointly analyzed with GNSS data, tide gauge records and regional geoid height estimates. The obtained results are promising but also exhibit some problems related to the electronic transponders and their performance. At co-located GNSS stations, the estimated ellipsoidal heights agree in a range between about 2 and 50 cm for both observation systems. From the results, it can be identified that, most likely, variable systematic electronic instrument delays are the main reason, and that each transponder instrument needs to be calibrated individually. Nevertheless, the project provides a valuable data set, which offers the possibility of enhancing methods and procedures in order to develop a geodetic SAR positioning technique towards operability.

Tide gauge (TG) time series and GNSS measurements have become standard datasets for various scientific and practical applications. However, the TG and geodetic networks in the Baltic Sea region are deforming due to vertical land motion (VLM), the primary cause of which is the glacial isostatic adjustment. Consequently, a correction for VLM, either obtained from a suitable VLM model or by utilizing space-geodetic techniques, must be applied to ensure compatibility of various data sources. It is common to consider the VLM rate relative to an arbitrary reference epoch, but this also yields that the resulting datasets may not be directly comparable. The common height reference, Baltic Sea Chart Datum 2000 (BSCD2000), has been initiated to facilitate the effective use of GNSS methods for accurate navigation and offshore surveying. The BSCD2000 agrees with the current national height realizations of the Baltic Sea countries. As TGs managed by national authorities are rigorously connected to the national height systems, the TG data can also be used in a common system. Hence, this contribution aims to review the treatment of TG time series for VLM and outline potential error sources for utilizing TG data relative to a common reference. Similar consideration is given for marine GNSS measurements that likewise require VLM correction for some marine applications (such as validating marine geoid models). The described principles are illustrated by analyzing and discussing numerical examples. These include investigations of TG time series and validation of shipborne GNSS determined sea surface heights. The latter employs a high-resolution geoid model and hydrodynamic model-based dynamic topography, which is linked to the height reference using VLM corrected TG data. Validation of the presented VLM corrected marine GNSS measurements yields a 1.7 cm standard deviation and −2.7 cm mean residual. The estimates are 1.9 cm and −10.2 cm, respectively, by neglecting VLM correction. The inclusion of VLM correction thus demonstrates significant improvement toward data consistency. Although the focus is on the Baltic Sea region, the principles described here are also applicable elsewhere.

Traditionally, sea level is observed at tide gauge stations, which usually also serve as height reference stations for national leveling networks and therefore define a height system of a country. One of the main deficiencies to use tide gauge data for geodetic sea level research and height systems unification is that only a few stations are connected to the geometric network of a country by operating permanent GNSS receivers next to the tide gauge. As a new observation technique, absolute positioning by SAR using active transponders on ground can fill this gap by systematically observing time series of geometric heights at tide gauge stations. By additionally knowing the tide gauge geoid heights in a global height reference frame, one can finally obtain absolute sea level heights at each tide gauge. With this information the impact of climate change on the sea level can be quantified in an absolute manner and height systems can be connected across the oceans. First results from applying this technique at selected tide gauges at the Baltic coasts are promising but also exhibit some problems related to the new technique. The paper presents the concept of using the new observation type in an integrated sea level observing system and provides some early results for SAR positioning in the Baltic sea area.