The magnetic signatures of oceanic tides in satellite data: A virtual-observatory approach

<p>The magnetic signatures of the M<sub>2</sub>, and more recently also the N<sub>2</sub>, and O<sub>1</sub> oceanic tides have been successfully extracted from satellite observations (Grayver & Olsen, 2019). The traditional method uses the spatial representation of the tidal signals by spherical harmonics. Here we present an alternative approach based on the concept of virtual observatories, motivated by similar development in the analysis of the core field (Mandea & Olsen 2006). All quiet-time, night-side vector magnetic field values observed by the satellite(s) in the proximity of a selected virtual observatory are parameterized by a scalar magnetic potential represented by a cubic harmonic polynomial in a local Cartesian coordinate system. The time-dependence of the polynomial coefficients is constrained by selected tidal frequency, taking into account also the phase and amplitude corrections. The local approach offers several advantages over the use of the global spherical-harmonic base. The disturbances from external field in the polar areas have no impact on the inversion at lower latitudes, and local error estimates can be also provided. In this initial report, we will explore the possibilities of the new technique in terms of resolution, the combination of datasets from multiple satellites and the use of NS and EW field differences from the Swarm A-C pair.</p>

Comparison of high rate GNSS and GNSS-R measurements for detecting tidal bores in the Garonne River

<p>The Reflected Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS-R) is a bi-static radar system in which the receiver collect GNSS signals reflected from the Earth surface and compares them with corresponding direct signals. Measurements can be performed on the waveforms to determine the elevation of the free surface, leading to applications such as ocean altimetry, inland water level variations, soil moisture, snow depth and atmospheric water changes. This study presents the potential of in-situ GNSS-R for tidal bore detection and characterization, and compares it to high rate GNSS observations and other reference datasets.</p><p>The data we used were acquired on 17<sup>th</sup> and 18<sup>th</sup> October 2016 in the Garonne River, at 126 km upstream the mouth of the Gironde estuary. We processed GNSS-based elevations from data acquired on a buoy at a 20 Hz sampling rate using differential GNSS (DGNSS) technique. Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) measurements as well as pressure data were used for validation purposes. These techniques show good results in estimating the amplitude of the first wave, the period of the tidal bore and the oceanic tides. All of these datasets were compared to the retrieval of GNSS-R signals above the river. We have processed the changes in water height throughout the acquisition using <em>Larson et al.</em> (2013) and <em>Roussel et al.</em> (2015) techniques. We finally separate the atmospheric component from the tidal bore and the oceanic tides ones.</p><p> </p><p>Larson, K. M., Löfgren, J. S., and Haas, R. (2013). Coastal sea level measurements using a single geodetic gps receiver. Advances in Space Research, 51(8):1301–1310.</p><p>Roussel, N., Ramillien, G., Frappart, F. et al. (2015). Sea level monitoring and sea state estimate using a single geodetic receiver. Remote Sensing of Environment, 171:261 – 277.</p>

Tidal Triggering of the Harmonic Noise in Ocean-Bottom Seismometers

We observed a harmonic noise (HN) in DEutscher Geräte-Pool für Amphibische Seismologie ocean-bottom seismometers (OBSs) data recorded from the Andaman–Nicobar region. The HN is characterized by sharp spectral peaks with a fundamental frequency and several overtones occurring at integer multiples of the fundamental frequency. We used an automated algorithm to quantify the occurrence of HN for the entire four-month deployment period (1 January 2014 to 30 April 2014). The algorithm detected more than 23 days of HN for some OBS stations. The spectral analysis of the hourly count of HN shows distinct lunar and solar tidal periodicities at 4.14, 6.1, 6.22, 12, and 12.4 hr as well as 13.66 days. The observed periodicities provide evidence of tidal triggering of HN. The HN is generated by the strumming of head buoys due to seafloor currents initiated by oceanic tides in the Andaman–Nicobar region.

Precession of the non-rigid Earth: Effect of the mass redistribution

This research is focused on determining the contribution to the precession of the Earth’s equator due to the mass redistribution stemming from the gravitational action of the Moon and the Sun on a rotating solid Earth. In the IAU2006 precession theory, this effect is taken into account through a contribution of −0.960 mas cy−1 for the precession in longitude (with the unspecific name of non-linear effect). In this work, the revised value of that second-order contribution reaches −37.847 mas cy−1 when using the Love numbers values given in IERS Conventions, and −43.945 mas cy−1 if those values are supplemented with the contributions of the oceanic tides. Such variations impose a change of the first-order precession value that induces relative changes of the Earth’s dynamical ellipticity of about 7.3 and 8.5 ppm, respectively. The corresponding values for the obliquity rate are 0.0751 and 0.9341 mas cy−1, respectively, in contrast to 0.340 mas cy−1 considered in IAU2006. The fundamentals of the modeling have been revisited by giving a clear construction of the redistribution potential of the Earth through the corresponding changes in the Earth tensor of inertia. The dynamical problem is tackled within the Hamiltonian framework of a two-layer Earth model, introduced and developed by Getino and Ferrándiz. This approach allows for the achievement of closed-analytical formulae for the precession in longitude and obliquity. It makes it possible to obtain numerical values for different Earth models once a set of associated Love numbers is selected. The research is completed with a discussion on the permanent tide and the related estimation of the variation of the second degree zonal Stokes parameter, J2, and also the indirect effects on nutations arising from the relative change of the Earth’s dynamical ellipticity.

A Modified Nonstationary Tidal Harmonic Analysis Model for the Yangtze Estuarine Tides

Influenced by river discharge, the tidal properties of estuarine tides can be more complex than those of oceanic tides, which makes the tidal prediction less accurate when using a classical tidal harmonic analysis approach, such as the T_TIDE model. Although the nonstationary tidal harmonic analysis model NS_TIDE can improve the accuracy for the analysis of tides in a river-dominated estuary, it becomes less satisfactory when applying the NS_TIDE model to a mesotidal estuary like the Yangtze estuary. Through the error source analysis, it is found that the main errors originate from the low frequency of tidal fluctuation. The NS_TIDE model is then modified by replacing the stage model with the frequency-expanded tidal–fluvial model so that more subtidal constituents, especially the “atmospheric tides,” can be taken into account. The results show that the residuals from tidal harmonic analysis are significantly reduced by using the modified NS_TIDE model, with the yearly root-mean-square-error values being only 0.04–0.06 m for the Yangtze estuarine tides.

Oceanic tides from Earth-like to ocean planets

Context. Oceanic tides are a major source of tidal dissipation. They drive the evolution of planetary systems and the rotational dynamics of planets. However, two-dimensional (2D) models commonly used for the Earth cannot be applied to extrasolar telluric planets hosting potentially deep oceans because they ignore the three-dimensional (3D) effects related to the ocean’s vertical structure. Aims. Our goal is to investigate, in a consistant way, the importance of the contribution of internal gravity waves in the oceanic tidal response and to propose a modelling that allows one to treat a wide range of cases from shallow to deep oceans. Methods. A 3D ab initio model is developed to study the dynamics of a global planetary ocean. This model takes into account compressibility, stratification, and sphericity terms, which are usually ignored in 2D approaches. An analytic solution is computed and used to study the dependence of the tidal response on the tidal frequency and on the ocean depth and stratification. Results. In the 2D asymptotic limit, we recover the frequency-resonant behaviour due to surface inertial-gravity waves identified by early studies. As the ocean depth and Brunt–Väisälä frequency increase, the contribution of internal gravity waves grows in importance and the tidal response becomes 3D. In the case of deep oceans, the stable stratification induces resonances that can increase the tidal dissipation rate by several orders of magnitude. It is thus able to significantly affect the evolution time scale of the planetary rotation.

Analysis of the Periodicity of Annual Extreme Runoff at Datong Station, Yangtze River, China

The periodicities of the annual maximum and minimum runoff time series at Datong hydrological station in the Yangtze River（P. R. China）were analyzed, according to the data from 1950 to 1995. The runoff of Datong hydrological station can be used to estimate the water discharges into the sea from the Yangtze River in a certain degree as there is no branch inflow from Datong station to the Yangtze Estuary. Two independent techniques were used in the analysis of time series: the conventional periodogram and the maximum entropy spectral analysis. The results reveal that the periods obtained in the time series at Datong station are related to the rainfall characteristics of the Yangtze River to a great extent. The long periods that are more than 10 years may be related to some climatic factors which are influenced by the solar activities. The short periods that are less than 10 years may be related to some factors which are affected by oceanic tides or human activities. The obtained periods not only reflect the periodicity characteristics of the water discharges into the sea from the Yangtze River, but also provide scientific evidence for the study of evolution of Datong reach of the Yangtze River.