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Sea level information, and its understanding, are essential for research in oceanography and coastal engineering. This paper describes sea level variability in the Clyde using data from 10 tide gauges. High coherence of sea level variability is found between the Firth of Clyde and estuary of the River Clyde, and between the Firth and estuary and the upstream part of the river. Consequently, if gaps exist in any of the records, missing information can be inferred from others. This applies to timescales of typically hours and longer, appropriate for storm surge or mean sea level change studies. No evidence exists for ‘see-saw’ oscillations of the river on subtidal timescales, as reported for the River Thames, but higher-frequency variability (typical period 45 minutes) is found with equal, or opposite, phase at different river locations. Such a standing wave behaviour would be one of the few reported examples of ‘river seiches’. Data from several agencies are used: two gauges of the UK National Network of the Environment Agency, five from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and three from Peel Ports. Only the former tend to be used in academic studies, but the present paper has demonstrated how useful complementary sources can be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the availability of more than 9 years of Cryosat-2, it is possible to revisit polar ocean tides, which have traditionally been difficult to determine from satellite altimetry. The SAMOSA+ physical retracker is a stable retracker developed particularly for Cryosat-2. Being a physical retracker, it enables the determination of the sea state bias. Correcting for the sea state bias enables more reliable sea level estimates compared with traditional empirical retrackers used before. Cryosat-2 data have been analyzed for residual ocean tides to the FES2014 ocean tide model in the Arctic Ocean and Antarctic Ocean using the response formalism. We utilize data from the sub-cycle of Cryosat-2, which follows a repeating pattern of approximately 28.33 days. This sub-repeat period makes it an advantageous alias period for the majority of significant constituents. This allowed for the estimation and mapping of the major tidal constituents in the open ocean and also in floating ice shelves from data extracted from leads in the sea ice. A novel empirical ocean tide model designed specifically for the polar region, DTU22, is introduced. Our findings reveal substantial enhancements in semi-diurnal tides within the Arctic Ocean and improvement in diurnal constituents within the Southern Ocean. In the Southern Ocean, the diurnal constituents are particularly improved using the empirical model by more than a factor of two to around 3 cm for both constituents compared with FES2014b. These outcomes underscore the significance of incorporating the reprocessed and retracted Cryosat-2 data into tidal modeling, highlighting its pivotal role in advancing the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continued rise in global mean sea level, operational predictions of tidal height and total water levels have become crucial for accurate estimations and understanding of sea level processes. The Dutch Continental Shelf Model in Delft3D Flexible Mesh (DCSM-FM) is developed at Deltares to operationally estimate the total water levels to help trigger early warning systems to mitigate against these extreme events. In this study, a regional version of the Empirical Ocean Tide model for the Northwest European Continental Sea (EOT-NECS) is developed with the aim to apply better tidal forcing along the boundary of the regional DCSM-FM. EOT-NECS is developed at DGFI-TUM by using 30 years of multi-mission along-track satellite altimetry to derive tidal constituents which are estimated both empirically and semi-empirically. Compared to the global model, EOT20, EOT-NECS showed a reduction in the root-square-sum error for the eight major tidal constituents of 0.68 cm compared to in situ tide gauges. When applying constituents from EOT-NECS at the boundaries of DCSM-FM, an overall improvement of 0.29 cm was seen in the root-mean-square error of tidal height estimations made by DCSM-FM, with some regions exceeding a 1 cm improvement. Furthermore, of the fourteen constituents tested, eleven showed a reduction of RMS when included at the boundary of DCSM-FM from EOT-NECS. The results demonstrate the importance of using the appropriate tide model(s) as boundary forcings, and in this study, the use of EOT-NECS has a positive impact on the total water level estimations made in the northwest European continental seas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tidal modulation of ice streams and their adjacent ice shelves is a real‐world experiment to understand ice‐dynamic processes. We observe the dynamics of Priestley Glacier, Antarctica, using Terrestrial Radar Interferometry (TRI) and GNSS. Ocean tides are predominantly diurnal but horizontal GNSS displacements also oscillate semi‐diurnally. The oscillations are strongest in the ice shelf and tidal signatures decay near‐linearly in the TRI data over >10 km upstream of the grounding line. Tidal flexing is observed >6 km upstream of the grounding line including cm‐scale uplift. Tidal grounding line migration is small and <40% of the ice thickness. The frequency doubling of horizontal displacements relative to the ocean tides is consistent with variable ice‐shelf buttressing demonstrated with a visco‐elastic Maxwell model. Taken together, this supports previously hypothesized flexural ice softening in the grounding‐zone through tides and offers new observational constraints for the role of ice rheology in ice‐shelf buttressing. Plain Language Summary: Temperatures in Antarctica's interior are below zero, so that ice continuously accumulates through snowfall. This mass gain is balanced by ice transport from the interior toward the coast. There, floating ice shelves form on the ocean and ice is eventually lost through iceberg calving and ocean induced melting. Small changes in any of these processes impact global ocean circulation and mean sea level. The speed of the ice varies with ocean tides. We use a specialized instrument that detects this variability and tidal flexing area‐wide and every few hours. We find that although low‐ and high‐tide only occur once a day in this area, ice flow is largest twice a day. This can be explained because ice softens when it is flexed by the ocean tides so that it can flow episodically faster. This is important because the deformation of ice shelves determines to an extent the stability of the entire ice sheet. Key Points: Terrestrial radar interferometry and GNSS identify dynamic changes at Priestley Glacier, Antarctica, forced by diurnal ocean tidesHorizontal displacements vary semi‐diurnally, are strongest in the shelf and decay near‐linearly >10 km upstream of the grounding lineGrounding line migration is small and flexural softening in ice‐shelf shear margins can explain the semi‐diurnal ice flow component [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary and secondary microseism originating in the world oceans and peaking at around 14 and 7 s, respectively, characterize the Earth's background noise in that frequency range. Microseism generated in marginal seas with partly shorter periods and higher spatial and temporal variability is less studied and requires stations in immediate proximity to the source to be observed. Such studies can help to elucidate the exact microseism generation areas and mechanisms in a constrained area. We analyze 15 years of broadband data recorded at the seismic station on Helgoland island in the marginal North Sea. In addition to remote primary (RPM) and secondary microseism (RSM) originating in the North Atlantic, we observe strong and dominant local secondary microseism (LSM) with on average higher frequencies above 0.2 Hz, in accordance with shorter wave periods of about 4–8 s in the shallow North Sea. During times with low RSM activity we observe local primary microseism (LPM) at frequencies in agreement with local ocean wave periods. The higher horizontal to vertical (H/V) ratio of LPM with respect to LSM indicates a major non‐Rayleigh wave contribution. LSM and LPM show a strong modulation with local semidiurnal ocean tides and microseism energy maxima preceding the water level maximum by 2.5 and 1.5 hr, respectively. This time shift might be influenced by stronger currents during rising than falling tides. Active sources of tide‐modulated microseism migrate along the North Sea coast in sync with the ocean tidal signal as evidenced by comparison of LSM maxima at stations distributed along the coast. Key Points: At an island in the marginal North Sea, we observe strong local primary and secondary microseism at shorter periods than remote microseismLocal microseism exhibits a strong tidal modulation and high horizontal to vertical (H/V) ratios in the primary microseism signalThe source region of the tidal‐modulated local microseism seems to migrate in sync with the progression of the ocean tides Plain Language Summary: Ocean sea waves cause seismic waves in the solid earth. These seismic waves have either the same period or half that period. They are caused by interaction of water waves with shallow seafloor structures or the interference of waves with equal period and opposite propagation directions, respectively. The period of ocean waves depends, among other factors, on the size of the water body. A smaller water body causes shorter wave periods. At an island station in the North Sea, a marginal sea of the North Atlantic, we observe simultaneously seismic wave energy generated nearby in the North Sea and far away in the North Atlantic. The North Atlantic in general generates seismic waves with longer periods. We observe seismic waves with the period and half the period of water waves in the North Sea. In addition, a modulation of the locally generated seismic wave energy with ocean tides is observed. The sources of this tidal‐modulated energy move with the tidal front. This is interesting, as the exact conditions necessary to generate these seismic waves are not well understood. Our station location in direct vicinity to the generation area allows for the novel observations presented here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiational tides derived from solar radiation are important components of ocean tides. Understanding dynamical features of radiational tides can be beneficial for further promoting the accuracy of water level prediction. Generally, radiational S 2 amplitudes are only 10%–30% of gravitational S 2 amplitudes, which has been verified by numerous studies. However, a previous study indicated that radidational S 2 amplitudes can reach 60% of gravitational S 2 amplitudes in the Gulf of Tonkin and related physical processes are unknown. In this paper, we revisit this abnormal phenomenon and find that such large radiational S 2 amplitudes are not real, but artifacts induced by the inadaptation of the method based on the credo of smoothness. Specifically, observed semi-diurnal tidal admittances in the Gulf of Tonkin are not smooth due to strong nonlinear interactions between large main diurnal tides. We quantitatively estimate and remove the contributions of quadratic and quartic nonlinear interactions to main semi-diurnal tides and find that the real ratio of radiational S 2 amplitude to astronomical S 2 amplitude is only 0.17 at Beihai, which is basically consistent with previous model results. Our study highlights the importance of eliminating the interference of nonlinear interactions to semi-diurnal tidal admittances in all diurnal resonant sea areas like the Gulf of Tonkin and the Gulf of Thailand when extracting radiational S 2 tides from sea level observations. • Large radiational S2 amplitudes in the Gulf of Tonkin are not real. • Observed semi-diurnal tidal admittances are distorted by nonlinear interactions. • Our method is universal for all diurnal resonant sea areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the fundamental problems of modern geodesy is precise defi nition of the gravitational fi eld and its changes in time. This is essential in positioning and navigation, geophysics, geodynamics, oceanography and other sciences related to the climate and Earth’s environment. One of the major sources of gravity data is satellite altimetry that provides gravity data with almost 75% surface of the Earth. Satellite altimetry also provides data to study local, regional and global geophysical processes, the geoid model in the areas of oceans and seas. This technique can be successfully used to study the ocean mean dynamic topography. The results of the investigations and possible products of altimetry will provide a good material for the GGOS (Global Geodetic Observing System) and institutions of IAS (International Altimetry Service). This paper presents the achievements in satellite altimetry in all the above disciplines obtained in the last years. First very shorly basic concept of satellite altimetry is given. In order to obtain the highest accuracy on range measurements over the ocean improved of altimetry waveforms performed on the ground is described. Next, signifi cant improvements of sea and ocean gravity anomalies models developed presently is shown. Study of sea level and its extremes examined, around European and Australian coasts using tide gauges data and satellite altimetry measurements were described. Then investigations of the phenomenon of the ocean tides, calibration of altimeters, studies of rivers and ice-sheets in the last years are given.

Tidal constants of major semi-diurnal and diurnal constituents are essential for understanding tidal features and long-term tidal prediction. Widely-used classical harmonic analysis (CHA) model requires at least half-year hourly sea level records to resolve eight major semi-diurnal and diurnal constituents based on the Rayleigh criterion. When the analyzed records are short (typically shorter than one month), most previous studies adopt tidal inference method to infer more constituents in the CHA model. The performance of tidal inference method depends on the accuracy of given inference relationships. In this paper, we propose a modified harmonic analysis model on the basis of the credo of smoothness (i.e. MHACS) which indicates inherent natural links between major astronomical diurnal and semi-diurnal constituents. In the CHA, tidal constituents are independent of each other and estimated individually. However, in the MHACS, major constituents are connected via smooth functions of frequency (linear or quadratic functions) indicated by the credo of smoothness. MHACS aims to determine such smooth functions via least squares and then calculate all major tides simultaneously. A series of ideal and practical experiments are conducted to examine the effectiveness of MHACS. It is found that MHACS can derive relatively accurate tidal constants of eight major tides from short-term hourly tide gauge records and satellite altimeter observations. As a general and understandable method, MHACS is easy to realize and can be widely used to analyze diverse tidal signals in the global ocean except diurnal resonant regions where semi-diurnal tidal admittances may be distorted by nonlinear interactions. Furthermore, it should be noted that widely-used tidal inference method can be considered as a special case of MHACS when tidal admittances are assumed as constant functions of frequency. • A modified tidal harmonic analysis model based on the rule of smoothness is proposed. • The new method can estimate accurate tidal constants from very short water level records. • The new method can be widely used in the global ocean except diurnal resonant sea areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Transient tidal overheight represented by phase-averaged tidal boundary condition. • Planar beach model successfully predicts overheight for complex coastal morphology. • Boundary condition performance is sensitive to coastal morphology representation. • Phase-resolved simulations and observed data can be replicated reasonably well. • Considerable reduction of coastal groundwater flow simulation runtimes achieved. Ocean tides cause water table overheight near the seaward boundary of coastal aquifers which can have a large impact on groundwater flows and saltwater intrusion. Despite this, regional-scale coastal groundwater flow models often neglect the effects of ocean tides or alternatively assume that the influences of ocean tides and sea level are constant over time. These simplifications are often required because simulation of the phase-resolved tidal signal at a coastal boundary is computationally demanding. Our objective was to derive a phase-averaged tidal boundary condition for application along gently sloping coastlines that enables simulation of real, complex tidal signals combined with sea-level changes due to meteorological effects. The boundary condition extends an existing analytical solution of tidal overheight by including an empirical correction function for conditions where the assumptions of the existing solution are violated. The correction function was developed by conducting a parametric study on an idealized two-dimensional cross-sectional coastal aquifer model and considering the effects of parameters including horizontal hydraulic conductivity, vertical anisotropy, specific yield, aquifer thickness, and beach slope. The performance of the new phase-averaged tidal boundary condition was assessed using a three-dimensional groundwater flow model of the island of Spiekeroog, Northwest Germany, which comprises complex coastal morphology with non-planar beach slopes. Simulations applying the new boundary condition were compared to simulations that adopted a phase-resolved tidal boundary condition and to observed groundwater levels. Accounting for time-varying changes in the tidal signal and sea level was found to be critical to simulate observed data and to adequately reproduce the transient tidal overheight simulated by the phase-resolved model. The performance of the new phase-averaged boundary condition in the regional-scale model varied depending on how the coastal morphology was represented in the boundary condition with local morphological features increasingly important for lower intertidal vertical infiltration capacity (low isotropic hydraulic conductivity or high vertical anisotropy) or specific yield. In conclusion, the new boundary condition presented overcomes current limitations in simulating transient tidal overheight in regional-scale groundwater models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the fundamental problems of modern geodesy is precise definition of the gravitational field and its changes in time. This is essential in positioning and navigation, geophysics, geodynamics, oceanography and other sciences related to the climate and Earth's environment. One of the major sources of gravity data is satellite altimetry that provides gravity data with almost 75% surface of the Earth. Satellite altimetry also provides data to study local, regional and global geophysical processes, the geoid model in the areas of oceans and seas. This technique can be successfully used to study the ocean mean dynamic topography. The results of the investigations and possible products of altimetry will provide a good material for the GGOS (Global Geodetic Observing System) and institutions of IAS (International Altimetry Service). This paper presents the achievements in satellite altimetry in all the above disciplines obtained in the last years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tidal flooding is among the most tangible present-day effects of global sea level rise. Here, we utilize a set of NOAA tide gauges along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts to evaluate the potential impact of future sea level rise on the frequency and severity of tidal flooding. Using the 2001–2015 time period as a baseline, we first determine how often tidal flooding currently occurs. Using localized sea level rise projections based on the Intermediate-Low, Intermediate-High, and Highest projections from the U.S. National Climate Assessment, we then determine the frequency and extent of such flooding at these locations for two near-term time horizons: 2030 and 2045. We show that increases in tidal flooding will be substantial and nearly universal at the 52 locations included in our analysis. Long before areas are permanently inundated, the steady creep of sea level rise will force many communities to grapple with chronic high tide flooding in the next 15 to 30 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the differences between mean tide level (MTL) and mean sea level (MSL) as demonstrated using information from a global tide gauge data set. The roles of the two main contributors to differences between MTL and MSL (the M4 harmonic of the M2 semidiurnal tide, and the combination of the diurnal tides K1 and O1) are described, with a particular focus on the spatial scales of variation in MTL-MSL due to each contributor. Findings from the tide gauge data set are contrasted with those from a state-of-the-art global tide model. The study is of interest within tidal science, but also has practical importance regarding the type of mean level used to define land survey datums. In addition, an appreciation of MTL-MSL difference is important in the use of the historical sea level data used in climate change research, with implications for some of the data stored in international databanks. Particular studies are made of how MTL and MSL might differ through the year, and if MTL is measured in daylight hours only, as has been the practice of some national geodetic agencies on occasions in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tidal currents and surface amplitudes are calculated globally for the dominating diurnal and semidiurnal constituents using an established tidal model under a range of altered bathymetry. The purpose is to evaluate if the well-known amplification of the global tides during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is related to changed propagation properties for the tidal wave or to changed damping due to removal of shelf seas. The response of the tides and tidal dissipation to future sea-level rise is also discussed. The tides in the present and LGM oceans were simulated first, followed by runs where the present day bathymetry was used but the shelf seas removed by the introduction of vertical walls or where sea level is allowed to rise. Previously reported results regarding tidal amplitudes and dissipation rates are reproduced in the control runs. The runs without shelf seas show significantly enhanced tidal amplitudes in the North Atlantic, whereas sea-level rise of 5 m above present levels show a significant shift in the amphidromic points on a local and regional scale but had a limited effect on the open ocean tides. Simulations with very large sea-level rise show a significantly decreased global tidal dissipation, whereas experiments without friction in present-day shallow water display results similar to those with no shelf seas. The results all point towards changing damping properties due to the removal of shelf seas as being the mechanism behind the LGM amplification, and they imply the importance of implementing future sea-level changes properly in tidal simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Changes in the ocean tide during the 20th century have been reported for several parts of the world by different authors. However, it has not always been clear whether the observed changes have been local or regional in scale. This paper reports on a survey of tidal changes in recent decades using a quasi-global data set of tide gauge information. Little evidence has been found in Europe or the Far East (including Australasia and Asia) for the extensive regional changes to the main tidal constituents reported recently for N America. However, evidence for change in smaller regions can be identified wherever the density of tide gauge information allows. Therefore, it seems that tidal changes may be commonplace around the world, although not necessarily with large spatial scales. All of the reported changes have been difficult to explain. However, it is hoped that quasi-global surveys such as the present one may eventually provide further insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been more than a decade since the last comprehensive accuracy assessment of global ocean tide models. Here, we conduct an evaluation of the barotropic ocean tide corrections, which were computed using FES2004 and GOT00.2, and other models on the Jason-2 altimetry Geophysical Data Record (GDR), with a focus on selected coastal regions with energetic ocean dynamics. We compared nine historical and contemporary ocean tide models with pelagic tidal constants and with multiple satellite altimetry mission (T/P, ERS-1/-2, Envisat, GFO, Jason-1/-2) sea level anomalies using variance reduction studies. All accuracy assessment methods show consistent results. We conclude that all the contemporary ocean tide models evaluated have similar performance in the selected coastal regions. However, their accuracies are region-dependent and overall are significantly worse than those in the deep-ocean, which are at the 2-3 cm RMS (root-mean-square) level. The Gulf of Mexico and Northwest Atlantic regions present the least reduction of altimetry sea surface height variability after ocean tides are removed, primarily because of large oceanic variability associated with loop currents in the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Stream in the Northwest Atlantic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Sea level measured at tide-gauge stations is affected by undesired events such as spikes, gaps, steps and time shifts. The presence of these instrumental failures seriously decreases the quality of each analysis done using the record. Furthermore, they can mask or disturb oceanographic phenomena of small amplitude. Identifying and filling gaps in the records have as consequence longer data sets, allowing the study and discrimination of long-term components. In this work, a method included in a reduction software package is presented. It is based on the oceanographic characteristics of the time series, mainly ocean tide and inverted barometer response. Raw data are interpolated using polynomial least-squares approximation, considering variable parameters, i.e. degree and number of used data, estimating the optimal ones by contrast tests. At the same time, estimation of errors and maximal length of the gaps to be interpolated are obtained. The determination of these parameters is done using Least-Squares Techniques. Since the vertical displacement of the oceanic surface due to atmospheric pressure variations is of considerable magnitude, the study is extended to the elimination of this effect prior to the interpolation. The preceding results, i.e. the adjusted parameters, are used to build up an error detection procedure based on classical polynomial interpolation, which has been programmed in Fortran 90. The correction is done at the residuals’ level, meaning that estimated minus observed values. The user has full control over the iterative adjustment process. Finally, the obtained results are compared with the results provided by other pre-processing methods. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Since the launch of the first altimetry satellites, ocean tide models have been improved dramatically for deep and shallow waters. However, issues are still found for areas of great interest for climate change investigations: the coastal regions. The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of the ALES coastal retracker on tide modeling in these regions with respect to a standard open ocean retracker. The approach used to compute the tidal constituents is an updated and along-track version of the Empirical Ocean Tide model developed at DGFI-TUM. The major constituents are derived from a least-square harmonic analysis of sea level residuals based on the FES2014 tide model. The results obtained with ALES are compared with the ones estimated with the standard product. A lower fitting error is found for the ALES solution, especially for distances closer than 20 km from the coast. In comparison with in situ data, the root mean squared error computed with ALES can reach an improvement larger than 2 cm at single locations, with an average impact of over 10% for tidal constituents K 2 , O 1 , and P 1 . For Q 1 , the improvement is over 25%. It was observed that improvements to the root-sum squares are larger for distances closer than 10 km to the coast, independently on the sea state. Finally, the performance of the solutions changes according to the satellite’s flight direction: for tracks approaching land from open ocean root mean square differences larger than 1 cm are found in comparison to tracks going from land to ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]