How and where the ocean tides dissipate their energy are long-standing questions that have consequences ranging from the history of the Moon to the mixing of the oceans. Historically, the principal sink of tidal energy has been thought to be bottom friction in shallow seas. There has long been suggestive evidence, however, that tidal dissipation also occurs in the open ocean through the scattering by ocean-bottom topography of surface tides into internal waves, but estimates of the magnitude of this possible sink have varied widely. Here we use satellite altimeter data from Topex/Poseidon to map empirically the tidal energy dissipation. We show that approximately 10(12) watts--that is, 1 TW, representing 25-30% of the total dissipation--occurs in the deep ocean, generally near areas of rough topography. Of the estimated 2 TW of mixing energy required to maintain the large-scale thermohaline circulation of the ocean, one-half could therefore be provided by the tides, with the other half coming from action on the surface of the ocean.
[1] A hydrodynamic model incorporating a self-consistent treatment of ocean selfattraction and loading (SAL), and a physically based parameterization of internal tide (IT) drag, is used to assess how accurately barotropic tides can be modeled without benefit of data, and to explore tidal energetics in the last glacial maximum (LGM). M 2 solutions computed at high resolution with present day bathymetry agree with estimates of elevations from satellite altimetry within 5 cm RMS in the open ocean. This accuracy, and agreement with atlimetric estimates of energy dissipation, are achieved only when SAL and IT drag are included in the model. Solutions are sensitive to perturbations to bathymetry, and inaccuracies in available global databases probably account for much of the remaining error in modeled elevations. The %100 m drop in sea level during the LGM results in significant changes in modeled M 2 tides, with some amplitudes in the North Atlantic increasing by factors of 2 or more. Dissipation is also significantly changed by the drop in sea level. If IT drag estimated for the modern ocean is assumed, dissipation increases by about 50% globally, and almost triples in the deep ocean. However, IT drag depends on ocean stratification, which is poorly known for the LGM. Tests with modified IT drag suggest that the tendency to a global increase in dissipation is a robust result, but details are sensitive to stratification. Significant uncertainties about paleotides thus remain even in this comparatively simple case where bathymetry is well constrained.
The accuracy of state-of-the-art global barotropic tide models is assessed using bottom pressure data, coastal tide gauges, satellite altimetry, various geodetic data on Antarctic ice shelves, and independent tracked satellite orbit perturbations. Tide models under review include empirical, purely hydrodynamic ("forward"), and assimilative dynamical, i.e., constrained by observations. Ten dominant tidal constituents in the diurnal, semidiurnal, and quarter-diurnal bands are considered. Since the last major model comparison project in 1997, models have improved markedly, especially in shallow-water regions and also in the deep ocean. The root-sum-square differences between tide observations and the best models for eight major constituents are approximately 0.9, 5.0, and 6.5 cm for pelagic, shelf, and coastal conditions, respectively. Large intermodel discrepancies occur in high latitudes, but testing in those regions is impeded by the paucity of high-quality in situ tide records. Long-wavelength components of models tested by analyzing satellite laser ranging measurements suggest that several models are comparably accurate for use in precise orbit determination, but analyses of GRACE intersatellite ranging data show that all models are still imperfect on basin and subbasin scales, especially near Antarctica. For the M 2 constituent, errors in purely hydrodynamic models are now almost comparable to the 1980-era Schwiderski empirical solution, indicating marked advancement in dynamical modeling. Assessing model accuracy using tidal currents remains problematic owing to uncertainties in in situ current meter estimates and the inability to isolate the barotropic mode. Velocity tests against both acoustic tomography and current meters do confirm that assimilative models perform better than purely hydrodynamic models.
Mass changes of the Greenland Ice Sheet resolved by drainage system regions were derived from a local mass concentration analysis of NASA-Deutsches Zentrum für Luftund Raumfahrt Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE mission) observations. From 2003 to 2005, the ice sheet lost 101 +/- 16 gigaton/year, with a gain of 54 gigaton/year above 2000 meters and a loss of 155 gigaton/year at lower elevations. The lower elevations show a large seasonal cycle, with mass losses during summer melting followed by gains from fall through spring. The overall rate of loss reflects a considerable change in trend (-113 +/- 17 gigaton/year) from a near balance during the 1990s but is smaller than some other recent estimates.
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