Nonlinear and minor ocean tides in the Bay of Biscay from the strain tides observed by two geodetic laser strainmeters at Canfranc (Spain)

This work presents and discusses the tidal analysis of about 2.5 years of strain data recorded by two 70 m-long high-resolution laser strainmeters, which are operating in the Canfranc underground laboratory (Central Pyrenees, Spain). Spectra show clear tidal peaks whose frequencies range from the diurnal band to at least 8 cycles per day; strain amplitudes (relative change in length for each strainmeter) range from few 10−12 to 10−8. The reliability of observations and corrections for local distortions are testified by the excellent agreement between measurements and computations for all the diurnal and semidiurnal tides included in the TPXO8 and FES2012 tidal atlases, with the exception of L2. Observed higher-frequency strain tides are mostly attributed to loading by nonlinear shallow-water constituents in the Bay of Biscay, more than 120 km from the measurement site. The signals are quantitatively compared with computations using TPXO8 (MN4, M4, and MS4) and FES2012 (M3, N4, MN4, M4, MS4, and M6). Computations fully agree with M4 observations for one strainmeter, overestimate M4 by about 30% for the other strainmeter and M6 by about a factor of two, and underestimate the other tides. This work shows that data from high-sensitivity strainmeters installed in high-quality sites may provide valuable additional information for studying the nonlinear tidal dynamics and energetics of coastal waters and minor ocean tides, at spatial resolutions of tens to thousands square kilometers, depending on the strainmeter location with respect to the coastline.