Geodetic observation of sea-level change and crustal deformation in the Baltic Sea region

Based on tide gauge observations spanning almost 200 years, homogeneous time series of the mean relative sea level were derived for nine sites at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. Our regionally concentrated data were complemented by long-term relative sea-level records retrieved from the data base of the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL). From these records relative sea-level change rates were derived at 51 tide gauge stations for the period between 1908 and 2007. A minimum observation time of 60 years is required for the determination of reliable sea-level rates. At present, no anthropogenic acceleration in sea-level rise is detected in the tide gauge observations in the southern Baltic. The spatial variation of the relative sea-level rates reflects the fingerprint of GIA-induced crustal uplift. Time series of extreme sea levels were also inferred from the tide gauge records. They were complemented by water level information from historic storm surge marks preserved along the German Baltic coast. Based on this combined dataset the incidence and spatial variation of extreme sea levels induced by storm surges were analysed yielding important information for hazard assessments. Permanent GPS observations were used to determine recent crustal deformation rates for 44 stations in the Baltic Sea region. The GPS derived height change rates were applied to reduce the relative sea-level changes observed by tide gauges yielding an estimate for the eustatic sea-level change. For 13 tide gauge-GPS colocation sites a mean eustatic sea-level trend of 1.3 mm/a was derived for the last 100 years.     

ENSO signals and their spatial-temporal variation characteristics recorded by the sea-level changes in the northwest Pacific margin during 1965–2005

Sea-level is closely linked to the Earth’s climate and its change is important as a metric for global and regional climate change. Identifying, extracting, and revealing such information through detailed analysis is the prerequisite for understanding the mechanisms of sea-level change. The monthly- average tide-change records reported and examined in this paper are from 10 tide gauge stations distributed in the northwest margin of the Pacific Ocean, registered during the period 1965-2005. In particular, we have utilized the Second Order Blind Identification (SOBI) method to identify and the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) method to extract the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) signals imprinted in those tide gauge records; and subsequently, we have investigated the spatial-temporal characteristics of the extracted ENSO signals using wavelet analysis methods. The following results are obtained: (1) the ENSO events recorded by each tide gauge series are of different types and intensity, which show considerable temporal-spatial variation characteristics, with sea-level responses to ENSO signals remarkably stronger in low latitude areas than in medium-high latitude areas; (2) due to the influences of ocean currents, topographical conditions, and other factors, there exist variations in the type of relationship between the sea-level changes and the recorded ENSO events at different latitudes; (3) sea-level changes can also denote scale-variation characteristics of ENSO events, and particularly, since 1980s, all the tide gauges located south of Kanmen show intense responses to ENSO and the timescale of ENSO events extended gradually from around 4 years to 2–8 years, reflecting variations in the intensity and frequency of ENSO events; and (4) reverse changes of certain scale were noted before and after strong ENSO events recorded by sea-level changes, supporting the research findings about the interaction (mutual coupling and superimposition) between the probability of occurrence of strong ENSO events and their time scale.     

In situ Measurements of Tide Gauge Response and Corrections of Tsunami Waveforms from the Niigataken Chuetsu-oki Earthquake in 2007

Linear and nonlinear responses of ten well-type tide gauge stations on the Japan Sea coast of central Japan were estimated by in situ measurements. We poured water into the well or drained water from the well by using a pump to make an artificial water level difference between the outer sea and the well, then measured the recovery of water level in the well. At three tide gauge stations, Awashima, Iwafune, and Himekawa, the sea-level change of the outer sea is transmitted to the tide well instantaneously. However, at seven tide gauge stations, Nezugaseki, Ryotsu, Ogi, Teradomari, Banjin, Kujiranami, and Naoetsu, the sea-level change of the outer sea is not always transmitted to the tide well instantaneously. At these stations, the recorded tsunami waveforms are not assured to follow the actual tsunami waveforms. Tsunami waveforms from the Niigataken Chuetsu-oki Earthquake in 2007 recorded at these stations were corrected by using the measured tide gauge responses. The corrected amplitudes of the first and second waves were larger than the uncorrected ones, and the corrected peaks are a few minutes earlier than the uncorrected ones at Banjin, Kujiranami, and Ogi. At Banjin, the correction was significant; the corrected amplitudes of the first and second upward motion are +103 cm and +114 cm, respectively, while the uncorrected amplitudes were +96 cm and +88 cm. At other tide gauge stations, the differences between the uncorrected and corrected tsunami waveforms were insignificant.     

Time-domain modeling of global ocean tides generated by the full lunisolar potential

Traditionally, ocean tides have been modeled in frequency domain with a forcing from selected tidal constituents. It is a natural approach; however, it implicitly neglects non-linearities of ocean dynamics. An alternative approach is time-domain modeling with a forcing given by the full lunisolar potential, i.e., all tidal waves are a priori included. This approach has been applied in several ocean tide models; however, some challenging tasks still remain, for example, assimilation of satellite altimetry data. In this paper, we introduce the assimilative scheme applicable in a time-domain model, which is an alternative to existing techniques used in assimilative ocean tide models. We present results from DEBOT, a global barotropic ocean tide model, which has two modes: DEBOT-h, a purely hydrodynamical mode, and DEBOT-a, an assimilative mode. The accuracy of DEBOT in both modes is assessed through a series of tests against tide gauge data which demonstrate that DEBOT is comparable to state-of-the-art global ocean tide models for major tidal constituents. Furthermore, as signals of all tidal frequencies are included in DEBOT, we also discuss modeling of minor tidal constituents and non-linear compound tides. Our modeling approach can be useful for those applications where the frequency domain approach is not suitable.     

A simple approach to adjust tidal forcing in fjord models

To model currents in a fjord accurate tidal forcing is of extreme importance. Due to complex topography with narrow and shallow straits, the tides in the innermost parts of a fjord are both shifted in phase and altered in amplitude compared to the tides in the open water outside the fjord. Commonly, coastal tide information extracted from global or regional models is used on the boundary of the fjord model. Since tides vary over short distances in shallower waters close to the coast, the global and regional tidal forcings are usually too coarse to achieve sufficiently accurate tides in fjords. We present a straightforward method to remedy this problem by simply adjusting the tides to fit the observed tides at the entrance of the fjord. To evaluate the method, we present results from the Oslofjord, Norway. A model for the fjord is first run using raw tidal forcing on its open boundary. By comparing modelled and observed time series of water level at a tidal gauge station close to the open boundary of the model, a factor for the amplitude and a shift in phase are computed. The amplitude factor and the phase shift are then applied to produce adjusted tidal forcing at the open boundary. Next, we rerun the fjord model using the adjusted tidal forcing. The results from the two runs are then compared to independent observations inside the fjord in terms of amplitude and phases of the various tidal components, the total tidal water level, and the depth integrated tidal currents. The results show improvements in the modelled tides in both the outer, and more importantly, the inner parts of the fjord.     

Sea level time series and ocean tide analysis from multipath signals at five GPS sites in different parts of the world

We present sea level observations derived from the analysis of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) data recorded by five coastal GPS stations. These stations are located in different regions around the world, both in the northern and in the southern hemisphere, in different multipath environments, from rural coastal areas to busy harbors, and experience different tidal ranges.The recorded SNR data show periodic variations that originate from multipath, i.e. the interference of direct and reflected signals. The general assumption is that for satellite arcs facing the open sea, the rapid SNR variations are due to reflections off the sea surface. The SNR data recorded from these azimuth intervals were analyzed by spectral analysis with two methods: a standard analysis method assuming a static sea level during a satellite arc and an extended analysis method assuming a time dependent sea level during a satellite arc.The GPS-derived sea level results are compared to sea level records from co-located traditional tide gauges, both in the time and in the frequency domain. The sea level time series are highly correlated with correlation coefficients to the order of 0.89–0.99. The root-mean-square (RMS) difference is 6.2 cm for the station with the lowest tidal range of 165 cm and 43 cm for the station with the highest tidal range of 772 cm. The relative accuracy, defined as the ratio of RMS and tidal range, is between 2.4% and 10.0% for all stations.Comparing the standard analysis method and the extended analysis method, the results based on the extended analysis method agree better with the independent tide gauge records for the stations with a high tidal range. For the station with the highest tidal range (772 cm), the RMS is reduced by 47% when using the extended analysis method. Furthermore, the results also indicate that the standard analysis method, assuming a static sea level, can be used for stations with a tidal range of up to about 270 cm, without performing significantly worse than the extended analysis method.Tidal amplitudes and phases are derived by harmonic analysis of the sea level records. Again, a high level of agreement is observed between the tide gauge and the GPS-derived results. Comparing the GPS-derived results, the results based on the extended analysis method show a higher degree of agreement with the traditional tide gauge results for stations with larger tidal ranges. Spectral analysis of the residuals after the harmonic analysis reveals remaining signal power at multiples of the draconitic day. This indicates that the observed SNR data are to some level disturbed by additional multipath signals, in particular for GPS stations that are located in harbors.     

Seasonal variation of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript> tide

The seasonal cycle of the main lunar tidal constituent M ₂ is studied globally by an analysis of a high-resolution ocean circulation and tide model (STORMTIDE) simulation, of 19 years of satellite altimeter data, and of multiyear tide-gauge records. The barotropic seasonal tidal variability is dominant in coastal and polar regions with relative changes of the tidal amplitude of 5–10 %. A comparison with the observations shows that the ocean circulation and tide model captures the seasonal pattern of the M ₂ tide reasonably well. There are two main processes leading to the seasonal variability in the barotropic tide: First, seasonal changes in stratification on the continental shelf affect the vertical profile of eddy viscosity and, in turn, the vertical current profile. Second, the frictional effect between sea-ice and the surface ocean layer leads to seasonally varying tidal transport. We estimate from the model simulation that the M ₂ tidal energy dissipation at the sea surface varies seasonally in the Arctic (ocean regions north of 60°N) between 2 and 34 GW, whereas in the Southern Ocean, it varies between 0.5 and 2 GW. The M ₂ internal tide is mainly affected by stratification, and the induced modified phase speed of the internal waves leads to amplitude differences in the surface tide signal of 0.005–0.0150 m. The seasonal signals of the M ₂ surface tide are large compared to the accuracy demands of satellite altimetry and gravity observations and emphasize the importance to consider seasonal tidal variability in the correction processes of satellite data.     

Earth tides observed by gravity and GPS in southeastern Alaska

We analyzed gravity data obtained in Juneau and global positioning system (GPS) data obtained from three PBO sites in southeastern Alaska (SE-AK), which are part of a US research facility called ‘EarthScope’, and we compared the obtained tidal amplitudes and phases with those estimated from the predicted tides including both effects of the body tide and ocean tide. Global tide models predict the ocean tides in this region of complex coastline and bathymetry. To improve the accuracy of prediction, we developed a regional ocean tide model in SE-AK.Our comparison results suggest: (1) by taking into account the ocean tide effect, the amplitude differences between the observation and the predicted body tide is remarkably reduced for both the gravity and displacement (e.g. for the M₂ constituent, 8.5–0.3 μGal, and 2.4–0.1 cm at the AB50 GPS site in Juneau in terms of the vector sum of three components of the north–south, east–west and up–down), even though the ocean tide loading is large in SE-AK. (2) We have confirmed the precise point positioning (PPP) method, which was used to extract the tidal signals from the original GPS time series, works well to recover the tidal signals. Although the GPS analysis results still contain noise due to the atmosphere and multipath, we may conclude that the GPS observation surely detects the tidal signals with the sub-centimeter accuracy or better for some of the tidal constituents. (3) In order to increase the accuracy of the tidal prediction in SE-AK, it is indispensable to improve the regional ocean tide model developed in this study, especially for the phase.     

Earth tides observed by gravity and GPS in southeastern Alaska

We analyzed gravity data obtained in Juneau and global positioning system (GPS) data obtained from three PBO sites in southeastern Alaska (SE-AK), which are part of a US research facility called ‘EarthScope’, and we compared the obtained tidal amplitudes and phases with those estimated from the predicted tides including both effects of the body tide and ocean tide. Global tide models predict the ocean tides in this region of complex coastline and bathymetry. To improve the accuracy of prediction, we developed a regional ocean tide model in SE-AK.Our comparison results suggest: (1) by taking into account the ocean tide effect, the amplitude differences between the observation and the predicted body tide is remarkably reduced for both the gravity and displacement (e.g. for the M₂ constituent, 8.5–0.3 μGal, and 2.4–0.1 cm at the AB50 GPS site in Juneau in terms of the vector sum of three components of the north–south, east–west and up–down), even though the ocean tide loading is large in SE-AK. (2) We have confirmed the precise point positioning (PPP) method, which was used to extract the tidal signals from the original GPS time series, works well to recover the tidal signals. Although the GPS analysis results still contain noise due to the atmosphere and multipath, we may conclude that the GPS observation surely detects the tidal signals with the sub-centimeter accuracy or better for some of the tidal constituents. (3) In order to increase the accuracy of the tidal prediction in SE-AK, it is indispensable to improve the regional ocean tide model developed in this study, especially for the phase.     

海潮对卫星重力场恢复的影响

本文讨论了海潮对卫星重力测量的影响问题. 首先介绍了海潮对卫星重力测量影响的基本理论;采用FES02和TPXO6海潮模型计算了海潮负荷对卫星重力结果前60阶的影响;并用两个模型之间的差异作为海潮模型精度的估计量,据此计算了海潮模型误差对卫星重力结果的影响. 与GRACE恢复的重力场精度的比较说明：海潮对重力场40阶以下的影响都超过了目前重力场恢复精度;尽管由于卫星测高技术的发展,海潮模型的精度有了很大的提高,但目前的全球海潮模型用于GRACE重力场恢复的前12阶的改正还是不够精确. 另外,我们也利用中国东海和南海潮汐资料以及FES02海潮模型讨论了中国近海潮汐效应对GRACE观测的影响. 结果说明该影响与海潮模型的误差相当. 这反映了当前海潮模型的不确定度,因此通过结合全球验潮站资料有望提高海潮对卫星重力测量的改正精度.     

Waveform and Spectral Analyses of the 2011 Japan Tsunami Records on Tide Gauge and DART Stations Across the Pacific Ocean

We studied the 11 March 2011 Tohoku tsunami through analysis of the sea level records from 21 tide gauge and 16 DART (Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis) stations from across the Pacific Ocean. The extreme power of this trans-oceanic tsunami was indicated by the trough-to-crest heights of 3.03 m at Arena Cove on the western coast of the USA and 3.94 m at Coquimbo on the southern coast of Chile. The average value of the maximum amplitude was 163.9 cm for the examined tide gauge records. At many coastal tide gauge stations the largest wave arrived several hours after the first arrival of the tsunami wave, and the tsunami lasted for a long time with an average duration of 4 days. On the contrary, at most of the DART stations in the deep ocean, the first wave was the largest, the tsunami amplitudes were smaller with an average maximum of 51.2 cm, and the durations were shorter with an average of 2 days. The two dominant tsunami periods on the DART records were 37 and 67.4 min, which are possibly attributed to the width and length of the tsunami source fault, respectively. The dimensions of the tsunami source was estimated as 233 km × 424 km. Wavelet analyses of tide gauge and DART records showed that most of the tsunami energy was distributed at the wide period band of around 10–80 min during the first hour after the tsunami arrival, then it was concentrated in a relatively narrower band. The frequency-time plots showed the switches and lapses of tsunami energy at the 35- and 65-min period bands.     

Accuracy assessment of ocean tide loading computations for precise geodetic observations

The increasing resolution of ground based gravity measurements (e.g. by superconducting gravimeters) as well as satellite based gravity field studies allows to study very small signals, globally as well as local. On the other hand, this requires the correction of such signals to uncover others. To study the Earth’s deep interior and the on-going dynamic processes requires the correction of disturbing signals, and one of these signals is related to ocean tidal loading. Although new ocean tide models are being derived from current satellite missions, there are still uncertainties.In this paper we present an intercomparison ocean tide models to test their fit to world-wide observations. Therefore, three TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) satellite derived models (CSR3.0, FES95.2 and TPXO.2) beside the classical SCHW80 model were selected for an accuracy assessment study. The selected models have been subjected to an intercomparison test, tide gauge validation test and comparison to 59 tidal gravity stations.The intercomparison test shows a good agreement between the T/P-based models for the open ocean and remarkable disagreement between the selected models in the coastal regions indicating that such models are still problematic in these regions. The tide gauge validation shows that the T/P derived models fit tide gauges better than SCHW80, with a better fit for the semidiurnal constituents than for the diurnal constituents. Comparing the gravimetric ocean-tide loading computed from the selected models with the residuals from a set of 59 tidal gravity stations shows that there is an improvement of the T/P derived models with respect to the Schwiderski model, especially in M2. However, this improvement is not as significant as the result of the comparison with the pelagic data. The procedure developed for the comparison of T/P derived models with SCHW80 is presented. The results provide not only information and improvement with regard to SCHW80, but also information about the properties of the new models. It is intended to continue this work applying the very recent models to see how they perform compared to this study.With this study we provide boundary conditions for the improvement of new ocean-tide models in order to benefit from the gravity measurements now possible regarding the evaluation of Earth structures and dynamic processes.     

Could a 1755-Like Tsunami Reach the French Atlantic Coastline? Constraints from Twentieth Century Observations and Numerical Modeling

The tsunami generated by the 1 November, 1755 earthquake off the coast of Portugal affected mainly the coastlines of the Iberian Peninsula and Northwest Morocco, but was also observed in some places along the North Atlantic coasts. To determine whether the event could have effected the French coastline, we conducted a study to search for signs of the tsunami in historical records from all tide gauge stations off the French Atlantic coast during the twentieth century, specifically for the 28 February, 1969 and the 26 May, 1975 tsunamis that were recorded by the Portuguese tide gauge network. Because many recordings are available in La Rochelle (located on the southwest coast of France), we focused our study on this harbor. The analysis of the tide gauge data shows no evidence for tsunamis in La Rochelle, neither in 1969 nor in 1975. To confirm this lack of tsunami signals, we used nonlinear, shallow water equations to compute the tsunami propagation to the French Atlantic coastline for both 1969 and 1975 events. Results obtained from these simulations confirm otherwise unnoticeable wave amplitudes at La Rochelle harbor. In a second step, tsunamis from three different scenarios for the 1755 earthquake were modeled to estimate the impact of such a tsunami on the French Atlantic coast, with a focus on La Rochelle harbor. A comparison of the functions of tide configuration was made in order to analyse the difference in impact. The results show that, while the harbor is poorly impacted, several areas (western part of the island of Ré and northern coast of the island of Oléron) may have experienced a moderate impact from 0.5 to 1 m, especially since the tide was high at the time of arrival, possibly causing local inundations in lowland areas.     

Glacial isostatic adjustment in 3-D earth models: Implications for the analysis of tide gauge records along the U.S. east coast

Tide gauge records of recent sea-level change along the U.S. east coast have received significant attention within the literature of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA). Geographic trends in these tide gauge rates are not reduced by a GIA correction based on a commonly adopted radial viscosity profile (characterized, in particular, by a lower mantle viscosity 1−2×10²¹ Pa s), and this has led to speculation that the residual trends reflect contributions from neotectonics or oceanographic processes. While the trends can be significantly reduced by adopting an Earth model with a stiffer lower mantle, such a model appears to be incompatible with independent constraints from post-glacial decay times in Hudson Bay. We use a finite-element model of the GIA process to investigate whether 3-D viscosity variations superimposed onto the “common” radial viscosity profile may provide a route to reconciling the east coast sea-level trends. We find that the specific 3-D structure we impose has little impact on the geographic trends in the GIA-corrected rates. However, we do find that the imposed lateral variations in lower mantle viscosity introduce a nearly uniform upward shift of 0.5 mm/yr in GIA-induced sea-level rates along the U.S. east coast. Thus, inferences of regional (U.S. east coast) sea-level rise due to modern melting of ice reservoirs, based on tide gauge rates corrected using 1-D GIA models, may be significantly biased by this simplifying assumption.     

Inversion for tides in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean

A regional model of tides in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean is developed through the use of inversion with two-dimensional finite element codes. Since global tide models are least accurate in coastal environments, modeling tides on a regional scale allows tidal propagation and interaction along the coast to be more accurately represented. In this respect, a regional model can act as a liaison between open ocean dynamics and physical processes more pertinent to coastal systems. The region of interest in this study extends from the Aleutian Islands to Southern California and includes deep ocean, continental shelf, and shallow water features. Boundary conditions are determined from nonlinear inversion of harmonic data from both shallow water and deep ocean tide gauges. Spatial patterns of amplitudes and phases from the model are examined for major constituents. Results are also compared to global tide models at selected stations.     

Accuracy assessment of ocean tide loading computations for precise geodetic observations

The increasing resolution of ground based gravity measurements (e.g. by superconducting gravimeters) as well as satellite based gravity field studies allows to study very small signals, globally as well as local. On the other hand, this requires the correction of such signals to uncover others. To study the Earth’s deep interior and the on-going dynamic processes requires the correction of disturbing signals, and one of these signals is related to ocean tidal loading. Although new ocean tide models are being derived from current satellite missions, there are still uncertainties.In this paper we present an intercomparison ocean tide models to test their fit to world-wide observations. Therefore, three TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) satellite derived models (CSR3.0, FES95.2 and TPXO.2) beside the classical SCHW80 model were selected for an accuracy assessment study. The selected models have been subjected to an intercomparison test, tide gauge validation test and comparison to 59 tidal gravity stations.The intercomparison test shows a good agreement between the T/P-based models for the open ocean and remarkable disagreement between the selected models in the coastal regions indicating that such models are still problematic in these regions. The tide gauge validation shows that the T/P derived models fit tide gauges better than SCHW80, with a better fit for the semidiurnal constituents than for the diurnal constituents. Comparing the gravimetric ocean-tide loading computed from the selected models with the residuals from a set of 59 tidal gravity stations shows that there is an improvement of the T/P derived models with respect to the Schwiderski model, especially in M2. However, this improvement is not as significant as the result of the comparison with the pelagic data. The procedure developed for the comparison of T/P derived models with SCHW80 is presented. The results provide not only information and improvement with regard to SCHW80, but also information about the properties of the new models. It is intended to continue this work applying the very recent models to see how they perform compared to this study.With this study we provide boundary conditions for the improvement of new ocean-tide models in order to benefit from the gravity measurements now possible regarding the evaluation of Earth structures and dynamic processes.     

Verifying the body tide at the Canary Islands using tidal gravimetry observations

Gravity tide records from El Hierro, Tenerife and Lanzarote Islands (Canarian Archipelago) have been analyzed and compared to the theoretical body tide model (DDW) of Dehant el al. (1999). The use of more stringent criterion of tidal analysis using VAV program allowed us to reduce the error bars by a factor of two of the gravimetric factors at Tenerife and Lanzarote compared with previous published values. Also, the calibration values have been revisited at those sites. Precise ocean tide loading (OTL) corrections based on up-to-date global ocean models and improved regional ocean model have been obtained for the main tidal harmonics O₁, K₁, M₂, S₂. We also point out the importance of using the most accurate coastline definition for OTL calculations in the Canaries. The remaining observational errors depend on the accuracy of the calibration of the gravimeters and/or on the length of the observed data series. Finally, the comparison of the tidal observations with the theoretical body tide models has been done with an accuracy level of 0.1% at El Hierro, 0.4% at Tenerife and 0.5% at Lanzarote.     

武汉台重力潮汐长期观测结果

采用武汉台超导重力仪(SG C032)14年多的长期连续观测资料,研究了固体地球对二阶和三阶引潮力的响应特征,精密测定了重力潮汐参数,系统研究了最新的固体潮模型和海潮模型在中国大陆的有效性.采用最新的8个全球海潮模型计算了海潮负荷效应,从武汉台SG C032的观测中成功分离出63个2阶潮汐波群和15个3阶潮汐波群信号,3阶潮波涵盖了周日、半日和1/3日三个频段.重力潮汐观测的精度非常高,标准偏差达到1.116 nm·s^-2,系统反映了非流体静力平衡、非弹性地球对2阶和3阶引潮力的响应特征.结果表明,现有的武汉国际重力潮汐基准在半日频段非常精确,但在周日频段存在比较明显的偏差,需要进一步精化.对于中国大陆的大地测量观测,固体潮可以采用Dehant等考虑地球内部介质非弹性和非流体静力平衡建立的固体潮理论模型或Xu 等基于全球SG观测建立的重力潮汐全球实验模型作为参考和改正模型,海潮负荷效应应该采用Nao99作为改正模型.     

Linear and nonlinear computations of the 1992 Nicaragua earthquake tsunami

Numerical computations of tsunamis are made for the 1992 Nicaragua earthquake using different governing equations, bottom frictional values and bathymetry data. The results are compared with each other as well as with the observations, both tide gauge records and runup heights. Comparison of the observed and computed tsunami waveforms indicates that the use of detailed bathymetry data with a small grid size is more effective than to include nonlinear terms in tsunami computation. Linear computation overestimates the amplitude for the later phase than the first arrival, particularly when the amplitude becomes large. The computed amplitudes along the coast from nonlinear computation are much smaller than the observed tsunami runup heights; the average ratio, or the amplification factor, is estimated to be 3 in the present case when the grid size of 1 minute is used. The factor however may depend on the grid size for the computation.     

20th Century sea-level change along the eastern US: Unravelling the contributions from steric changes, Greenland ice sheet mass balance and Late Pleistocene glacial loading

We have considered the influence of ocean temperature and salinity changes, mass changes of the Greenland ice sheet (GIS) and the isostatic response of the solid earth to the most recent glacial cycle on 20th century sea-level change along the US east coast with the intention of better understanding the observed signal as well as determining the potential of the tide gauge data for constraining the recent (past 50–100 yr) mass balance of the GIS and earth viscosity structure. Our results show that the signal due to steric changes is large and displays a complex spatial variation which can account for a significant portion of the observed signal. In contrast, that due to changes in the GIS is relatively small and insensitive to the specific geometry of the mass balance model adopted. As a consequence, the tide gauge data alone are not capable of providing useful constraints on either the magnitude or form of recent GIS mass balance. Our inference of mantle viscosity structure based on the tide gauge data was affected dramatically when the steric effect was accounted for: An earth model with an upper mantle viscosity of 8 × 10¹⁹ Pa s and a lower mantle viscosity of 5 × 10²² Pa s produced the best fit to the steric-corrected data; the optimal fit to the uncorrected data was obtained for upper and lower mantle viscosities of 5 × 10²⁰ Pa s and 10²² Pa s, respectively.