Ocean tidal solutions in Antarctica from GRACE inter-satellite tracking data

Abstract

Long-wavelength components of the oceanic tides surrounding Antarctica are estimated directly from three years of GRACE satellite-to-satellite ranging measurements. An inversion is performed for the major constituents M2, O1, and S2, with K1 excluded because of inadequate phase sampling. The tides are parameterized as localized average mass anomalies over areas approximately 3002 kM2; other parameters, including satellite state adjustments, are estimated simultaneously with the tides. Qualitative comparison of our solutions with in situ tide measurements shows agreement in spatial pattern, clearly indicating regions where our adopted prior model is inadequate. To exploit these solutions, follow-on work must assimilate these long-wavelength components into a high-resolution numerical tidal model. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.