Mean Dynamic Topography Research Articles

Circular Asymmetry of Ocean Mesoscale Eddy

Abstract In the global ocean, mesoscale eddies frequently deviate from a circular shape [circular asymmetry (CA)]. On average, anticyclonic eddies display slightly larger asymmetry than that of cyclonic eddies. Both types of eddies exhibit larger asymmetry during the periods of generation and extinction and smaller asymmetry during the intermediate periods. CA’s spatial distribution is dominantly controlled by the eddy’s rotational speed, radius, meridional displacement, and the background oceanic circulation. A decrease in rotational speed, an increase in radius, moving poleward (toward the equator), and/or moving into regions with smaller (larger) mean dynamic topography can enhance the asymmetry of anticyclonic (cyclonic) eddies. A weak advective nonlinearity of the eddy, represented by the ratio of the eddy’s rotational speed to its translation speed, also helps to enhance the asymmetry. Eddy with an asymmetric structure may be important for marine mixing processes. Significance Statement Mesoscale eddies are often assumed to be circular and symmetric. However, global observations reveal that eddies frequently diverge from a circular shape, displaying circular asymmetry (CA). The asymmetric structure of eddy is poorly investigated in the global ocean, especially in regions close to the strong oceanic currents. This study reported the evolution of eddy’s asymmetric structure and its spatial distribution. Statistical results show that CA is dominantly controlled by the eddy’s rotational speed, radius, meridional displacement, and the background oceanic circulation. This study provides a new perspective on the evolution of eddy’s structure and may be important in oceanic mixing.

Predicting bathymetry using multisource differential marine geodetic data with multilayer perceptron neural network

ABSTRACT We propose a method for enhancing the accuracy of bathymetry models based on a multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network that integrates the differences in multisource marine geodetic data (MMGD) (longitude, latitude, reference bathymetry, slope, the meridional and prime components of vertical deflection, gravity anomaly, vertical gravity gradient, and mean dynamic topography). First, we use the MMGD differences between the shipborne sounding control points within 8′ × 8′ grid points and shipborne sounding control points as input data, as well as the differences between the topo_24.1 model and the measured bathymetric values at the control points as output data to train the MLP model. Second, we feed the input data from the central point of a 1′ × 1′ grid into the MLP model to obtain predictions, and then use the topo_24.1 model to recover the predicted bathymetry at the prediction point. We focus on the Caribbean Sea, and construct a Caribbean Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (CBCO1) model using MLP neural network. The reliability of MMGD, a CBCO2 model using MMGD, and the reliability and effectiveness of the overall method are demonstrated through comparisons with the CBCO2, GEBCO_2022, topo_24.1, DTU18 models at the checkpoints.

Application of Geoid and Mean Dynamic Topography Models as an Alternative to the Mean Sea Level Approach in Determining Vertical Datum (Case Study: Java Island and Surrounding)

Abstract Indonesia’s archipelagic territory provides constraints for determining a seamless vertical datum throughout the region. The main constraint is how to connect the vertical datum between islands separated by sea. To define the physical height system of land areas, it usually refers to the Mean Sea Level (MSL), which has different values in each area, and the ideal MSL information is not yet available throughout regions with a minimum data duration of one cycle of 18.6 years. To overcome this constraint, in this research, another alternative method is used: applying a vertical datum that refers to a physical geoid reference surface, namely Mean Dynamic Topography (MDT) using Altimetry satellite data. The study area is Java Island and its surroundings, using vertical information from Geodetic Control Point stations, which also function as Tidal stations in the Indonesian Geospatial Reference System network. The range of MDT deviation values obtained from the Satellite Altimetry with Geodetic Ground Control data is ± 2 meters, which is a good value for coastal areas facing the open sea. This shows that the application of the geoid and MDT models can be used as an alternative, seamless MSL approach in the Java Island region and its surroundings.

Radial surface currents from space: An opportunity for mean dynamic topography estimation?

We analyze the feasibility of so-called radial surface currents as derived from Sentinel-1 Wave mode Doppler shift observations to support the geodetic estimation of the mean dynamic topography (MDT). Broadly defined as subtracting the geoid from the mean sea surface, this separation problem suffers from data inhomogeneities and usually requires strong prior assumptions about the MDT’s smoothness. Recent advancements in calibration and current retrieval methodology for Sentinel-1 data give reason to assess potential gains from this observation type, which can be linked to the gradient of the MDT under geostrophic approximation. Due to current lack of long time-series, we synthesize 10 years of observations from daily surface currents grids and include these in a parametric least-squares adjustment of the MDT. Our results utilizing the synthetic data in place of smoothness constraints are promising, showing 2 cm RMS agreement with a state-of-the-art MDT model.

Evaluating of the accuracy of the DTU22MDT mean dynamic topography model based on the tidal gauge data in Vietnam’s coastal areas

In this study, the accuracy of the latest mean dynamic topography model (MDT), DTU22MDT, is determined based on data collected from 14 tide gauge stations along the coast of Vietnam, from the North to the South. The process of assessing the accuracy of the DTU22MDT model is carried out carefully and precisely, involving determining the model’s height at tide gauge stations, quality checks of the data, and evaluation of the model’s accuracy. The research results indicate that, compared to the local sea surface in Vietnam, the DTU22MDT model has a higher height of approximately 0.7 meters. This model represents the global MDT with the highest accuracy in Vietnam, with a mean square error of about 9.0 cm. This information provides a basis for applying the model in scientific research and practical applications, such as constructing a national height system, planning the economic development of coastal areas, generating specialized maps, designing structures, and other activities in the maritime regions of Vietnam. The method used to evaluate the accuracy of the MDT in this study can be applied to other research areas and to different MDTs.

Impact of assimilation of absolute dynamic topography on Arctic Ocean circulation

The ocean circulation is typically constrained in operational analysis and forecasting systems through the assimilation of sea level anomaly (SLA) retrievals from satellite altimetry. This approach has limited benefits in the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas due to data gaps caused by sea ice coverage. Moreover, assimilation of SLA in seasonally ice-free regions may be negatively affected by the quality of the Mean Sea Surface (MSS) used to derive the SLA. Here, we use the Regional Ice Ocean Prediction System (RIOPS) to investigate the impact of assimilating Absolute Dynamic Topography (ADT) fields on the circulation in the Arctic Ocean. This approach avoids the use of a MSS and additionally provides information on sea level in ice covered regions using measurements across leads (openings) in the sea ice. RIOPS uses a coupled ice-ocean model on a 3-4 km grid-resolution pan-Arctic domain together with a multi-variate reduced-order Kalman Filter. The system assimilates satellite altimetry and sea surface temperature together with in situ profile observations. The background error is modified to match the spectral characteristics of the ADT fields, which contain less energy at small scales than traditional SLA due to filtering applied to reduce noise originating in the geoid product used. A series of four-year reanalyses demonstrate significant reductions in innovation statistics with important impacts across the Arctic Ocean. Results suggest that the assimilation of ADT can improve circulation and sea ice drift in the Arctic Ocean, and intensify volume transports through key Arctic gateways and resulting exchanges with the Atlantic Ocean. A reanalysis with a modified Mean Dynamic Topography (MDT) is able to reproduce many of the benefits of the ADT but does not capture the enhanced transports. Assimilation of SLA observations from leads in the sea ice appears to degrade several circulation features; however, these results may be sensitive to errors in MDT. This study highlights the large uncertainties that exist in present operational ocean forecasting systems for the Arctic Ocean due to the relative paucity and reduced quality of observations compared to ice-free areas of the Global Ocean. Moreover, this underscores the need for dedicated and focused efforts to address this critical gap in the Global Ocean Observing System.

Altimeter Calibrations in the Preliminary Four Years’ Operation of Wanshan Calibration Site

In order to accomplish the calibration and validation (Cal/Val) of altimeters, the Wanshan calibration site (WSCS) has been used as a calibration site for satellite altimeters since its completion in August 2019. In this paper, we introduced the WSCS and the dedicated equipment including permanent GNSS reference stations (PGSs), acoustic tide gauges (ATGs), and dedicated GNSS buoys (DGB), etc. placed on Zhi’wan, Wai’ling’ding, Dan’gan, and Miao’Wan islands of the WSCS. The PGSs data of Zhi’wan and Wai’ling’ding islands were processed and analyzed using the GAMIT/GLOBK (Version 10.7) and Hector (Version 1.9) software to define the datum for Cal/Val of altimeters in WSCS. The DGB was used to transfer the datum from the PGSs to the ATGs of Zhi’wan, Wai’ling’ding, and Dan’gan islands. Separately, the tidal and mean sea surface (MSS) corrections are needed in the Cal/Val of altimeters. We evaluated the global/regional tide models of FES2014, HAMTIDE12, DTU16, NAO99jb, GOT4.10, and EOT20 using the three in situ tide gauge data of WSCS and Hong Kong tide gauge data (No. B329) derived from the Global Sea Level Observing System. The HAMTIDE12 tide model was chosen to be the most accurate one to maintain the tidal difference between the locations of the ATGs and the altimeter footprints. To establish the sea surface connections between the ATGs and the altimeter footprints, a GPS towing body and a highly accurate ship-based SSH measurement system (HASMS) were used to measure the sea surface of this area in 2018 and 2022, respectively. The global/regional mean sea surface (MSS) models of DTU 2021, EGM 2008 (mean dynamic topography minus by CLS_MDT_2018), and CLS2015 were accurately evaluated using the in situ measured data and HY-2A altimeter, and the CLS2015 MSS model was used for Cal/Val of altimeters in WSCS. The data collected by the equipment of WSCS, related auxiliary models mentioned above, and the sea level data of the hydrological station placed on Dan’gan island were used to accomplish the Cal/Val of HY-2B, HY-2C, Jason-3, and Sentinel-3A (S3A) altimeters. The bias of HY-2B (Pass No. 375) was −16.7 ± 45.2 mm, with a drift of 0.5 mm/year. The HY-2C biases were −18.9 ± 48.0 mm with drifts of 0.0 mm/year and −5.6 ± 49.3 mm with −0.3 mm/year drifts for Pass No. 170 and 185, respectively. The Jason-3 bias was −4.1 ± 78.7 mm for Pass No. 153 and −25.8 ± 85.5 mm for Pass No. 012 after it has changed its orbits since April 2022, respectively. The biases of S3A were determined to be −16.5 ± 46.3 mm with a drift of −0.6 mm/year and −9.8 ± 30.1 mm with a drift of 0.5 mm/year for Pass No. 260 and 309, respectively. The calibration results show that the WSCS can commercialize the satellite altimeter calibration. We also discussed the calibration potential for a wide swath satellite altimeter of WSCS.

GeoMed2,the geoid of the Mediterranean: work in progress

Geodesy can provide valuable information on marine current estimation based on the combination of gravity and altimetry. Gravity is standardly used to estimate the geoid undulation, i.e. the height of the geoid over a given reference ellipsoid. As it is well known, the geoid undulation over the oceans is closely related to the Mean Sea Surface (MSS) with discrepancies that can reach 1–2 m at global scale. By satellite altimetry, one can get the MSS and then estimate the Mean Dynamic Topography (MDT) as the difference between the MSS and the geoid undulation. As the MDT is related to the ocean circulation, information on the ocean circulation to be compared with oceanographic estimates can be provided using these geodetic measurements. In this context, the GeoMed2 project aims at estimating a high-accuracy and high-resolution geoid model for the Mediterranean Sea based on land and marine gravity data and on recent Global Geopotential Models. In this paper, the processing methodology based on the well-known remove–compute–restore approach for the determination of the geoid in the Mediterranean area is presented. In a pre-processing step, all available gravity observations for the wider Mediterranean basin have been collected, validated, homogenized, and unified in terms of their horizontal and gravity system. In this way, a reliable gravity database to be used for the determination of the geoid has been prepared. This data set has been used in computing a gravimetric geoid estimate based on which the MDT over the Mediterranean Sea was obtained. The results of this computation were then revised, commented and compared with other existing MDT solutions. By these comparisons, it can be concluded that the geodetic computed MDT is not yet satisfactory since it is too noisy. This is possibly due to some inconsistencies still present in the gravity data used for estimating the geoid undulation and to the adopted MSS which seems to be too smooth over the Mediterranean area.

Reference the seabed topographic depth observations based on the national mean dynamic topography model

The mean sea surface in different regions is non-equipotential, rendering Vietnam's traditional approach, which relies on the Hon-Dau tide gauge station as a reference, not yet scientifically invalid. To overcome this, our study utilized the Vietnam national mean dynamic topography model (MDTVN22) for depth observations, particularly in the Gulf of Tonkin. Covering 3430 monitoring sites in Hai Phong and 813 sites in Quang Ninh, our experiments highlighted a 5 to 6 mm difference between the mean sea surface and MDTVN22 references.•Our research establishes a resilient methodology, integrating shore tide gauge station data and the MDTVN22 model, aimed at enhancing precision in depth observations.•Validation experiments in Hai Phong demonstrate a minimal discrepancy of ±0.006 m between measurements obtained from the traditional mean sea surface and the MDTVN22 model.•These findings underscore the significance of adopting the MDTVN22 model for improved accuracy in assessing Vietnam's seabed topography.

Utilization of Mean Dynamic Topography for GNSS-Leveling Applications (Case Study: Jakarta Area)

Conventionally, the determination of height that has physical meaning for a location or area can be determined geodetically by measuring the height difference relative to a reference point using the spirit-leveling method. This type of height, orthometric height, is essential to explain any physical phenomena, e.g., determining which direction fluid flows, which is used in many scientific and engineering applications. The coverage area is one limitation of conventional leveling, using waterpass precise leveling. The wider the coverage area, the more time and cost-consuming it will be. Another alternative to determine the height at a particular location is using the Global Navigation Satellite System – Leveling (GNSS-Leveling) method, which can be used to resolve the drawbacks of the previous method. GNSS-Leveling method is able to provide an efficient height determination solution if an accurate geoid undulation model and Mean Dynamic Topography (MDT) model are available over the area of interest. MDT is the height deviation between the geoid surface and the mean sea surface (MSS). Information related to geoid undulation and MDT is important to ensure any GNSS-Leveling measurement referring to the local Mean Sea Level (MSL) surface, which is widely needed in various applications. Applying the EGM2008 geoid model and altimetric-derived MDT solution to GNSS-Leveling measurements in the Jakarta area, the average orthometric height difference relative to the reference value is estimated to be about 5 cm. This shows that GNSS-Leveling is a promising solution when combined with geoid and MDT models.

Accuracy assessment of quasi-seamless hydrographic separation models in Malaysian waters

The hydrographic survey reduction using ellipsoid has been available since the advent of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), with a potential to streamline operation and enhance bathymetric output. Spatially continuous separation surfaces connecting a chart datum (CD) to a geodetic ellipsoid is required for this technique. Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has invented a new quasi-seamless separation model for Malaysian waters, known as the Malaysian Vertical Separation (MyVSEP) model, through semi-empirical models to capture the spatial variability of a tidal datum between coastal and offshore areas. A continuous vertical datum is established to develop MyVSEP models by combining the coastal and offshore datasets. The coastal datasets referred to the vertical reference point computed from coastal tide gauges, while the offshore datasets referred to the vertical reference surfaces derived from satellite altimetry. Mean sea level (MSL) or mean sea surface (MSS), mean dynamic topography (MDT), lowest astronomical tide (LAT), and highest astronomical tide (HAT) are the vertical datums involved in developing the continuous MyVSEP model. However, the integration of the vertical datum has only been conducted over the Peninsular Malaysia region. For Sabah and Sarawak, datum integration cannot be implemented due to the limitation of coastal datasets. The assessment of the integrated vertical datum with coastal tide gauges is discussed in this study. The finding shows that the root mean square error (RMSE) agreement between the integrated Universiti Teknologi Malaysia 2020 (iUTM20) model and coastal tide gauges yields below 2.0 cm. The iUTM20 lowest astronomical tide and highest astronomical tide models also show significant improvement compared to the altimetric-derived tidal models, which recorded the root mean square error agreement with coastal tide gauges of 1.8 cm and 2.0 cm, respectively. The development of a continuous vertical separation model for the Ellipsoidally Referenced Surveying technique indirectly optimizes marine geospatial information resources, especially for the National Hydrographic Centre in Malaysia.

Calibration of the Instrumental Errors on Marine Gravity Recovery from SWOT Altimeter

The wide-swath altimetry mission, Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT), makes it possible to further break through the accuracy and resolution of marine gravity field recovery. However, as its main payload, the Ka-band radar interferometer (KaRIN) is easy to be affected by the spacecraft attitude, mechanical deformations and dual antenna signal reception status, which generates instrumental errors including roll errors, phase errors, baseline dilation errors, timing errors, and KaRIN noise. Together with ocean temporal variations, the instrumental errors have large effects on the SWOT Sea Surface Height (SSH) observations and hence the marine gravity field recovery. Here, taking the sea area around Japan as an example, we investigated the calibrations of instrumental errors and ocean temporal variations on the recovery of the marine gravity field. The SSH observations of SWOT are first simulated by Mean Sea Surface (MSS), Absolute Dynamic Topography (ADT), Mean Dynamic Topography (MDT) and instrumental errors. Next, the influence of instrumental errors on determining vertical deflection within single-cycle data was analyzed. Then, three calibration methods (KaRIN/KaRIN cross-calibration, Representative KaRIN/KaRIN cross-calibration, and KaRIN/Nadir cross-calibration) are used to reduce the instrumental errors; the experimental results show KaRIN/KaRIN cross-calibration is the optimal one. Last, for the multi-cycle observations containing ocean temporal variations, crossover calibration is done in single cycle and then followed by collinear adjustment in multi-cycles. This approach is verified by considering 18 simulated cycles that cover almost 1 year. Our result indicates an improvement in the accuracy of marine gravity anomaly by about 45% compared to that of one cycle. The calibration strategy of instrumental errors and ocean temporal variations can be used for high-precision marine gravity field recovery with abundant SWOT observations in the near future.

On performance of vertical gravity gradient determined from CryoSat-2 altimeter data over Arabian Sea

SUMMARYHigh-precision and high-resolution satellite altimetry data from CryoSat-2 are widely utilized for marine gravity inversion. The vertical gravity gradient is a crucial parameter of the Earth's gravity field. To evaluate the performance of vertical gravity gradient determined from CryoSat-2 altimeter data, the pre-processed along-track sea surface heights (SSHs) are obtained through error correction. The study area focused on the Arabian Sea and its surrounding region, where the along-track geoid was derived by subtracting the mean dynamic topography of the ocean from the along-track SSH of CryoSat-2. The residual along-track geoidal gradients were obtained by adjusting the along-track geoid gradients calculated from CryoSat-2 altimeter data using the remove-restore method. This was done by subtracting the geoid gradients calculated by the gravity field model XGM2019e_2159. After obtaining the residual along-track geoidal gradients, the residual gridded deflections of the vertical (DOV) are calculated using the least-squares collocation (LSC) method. The residual gridded DOV are then used to compute the residual gridded gravity anomaly gradients in the study area using the finite-difference method. After restoring the gravity anomaly gradients computed by the XGM2019e_2159 model, a high-resolution gravity anomaly gradient model with a resolution of 1′ ×1′ is obtained for the Arabian Sea and its surrounding area. To evaluate the accuracy of the gravity anomaly gradient model derived from CryoSat-2, it was compared with the SIO V32.1 gravity anomaly gradient model released by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The comparison showed that the root mean square (RMS) of the differences between the two models is 7.69E, demonstrating the high accuracy and precision of the vertical gravity gradient determined from CryoSat-2 altimeter data.

Absolute Calibration of the Chinese HY-2B Altimetric Mission with Fiducial Reference Measurement Standards

This research and collaboration work aims at the calibration and validation (Cal/Val) of the Chinese HY-2B satellite altimeter based upon two permanent Cal/Val facilities: (1) the China Altimetry Calibration Cooperation Plan in Qingdao, Bohai Sea and the Wanshan islands, China and (2) the permanent facility for altimetry calibration established by the European Space Agency in Crete, Greece. The HY-2B satellite altimeter and its radiometer have been calibrated and monitored using uniform, standardized procedures, as well as protocols and best practices, and they also built upon trusted and indisputable reference standards at both Cal/Val infrastructures in Europe and China. The HY-2B altimeter is thus monitored in a coordinated, absolute, homogeneous, long-term and worldwide manner. Calibration of altimeters is accomplished by examining satellite observations in open seas against reference measurements. Comparisons are established through precise satellite positioning, water level observations, GPS buoys and reference models (geoid, mean dynamic topography, earth tides, troposphere and ionosphere), all defined at the Cal/Val sites. In this work, the final uncertainty for the altimeter bias will be attributed to several individual sources of uncertainty, coming from observations in water level, atmosphere, absolute positioning, reference surface models, transfer of heights from Cal/Val sites to satellite observations, etc. Through this project, the procedures, protocols and best practices, originally developed in the course of the ESA FRM4ALT project, are updated, upgraded and followed at both Cal/Val facilities in Europe and China. All in all, the HY-2B satellite altimeter observes the sea level quite well and within its specifications.

Development of a continuous spatiotemporal finite element-based representation of the mean sea surface

The mean sea surface (MSS) has an important role, both, in the calculation of the mean dynamic topography and in the area of sea-level change as a reference surface. This paper presents a new approach to estimate a continuous spatiotemporal MSS from along-track altimetric sea surface height measurements. A parametric function continuously defined in the spatial as well as temporal domain is constructed from a C^1-smooth finite element space to represent the MSS. Least-squares observation equations are set up, to estimate the unknown scaling coefficients from the sea surface height measurements as collected by altimetric exact repeat missions and geodetic missions. An advantage of the proposed method is that the surface is represented by an analytic model and the unknown parameters can be physically interpreted. Whereas the static component of the function represents the MSS, the temporal component is used to absorb the ocean variability. Within this initial study, 10 years of satellite altimetry over the period 2010–2019 are analyzed in a small study region around the Agulhas Current. To obtain the best possible data coverage, all missions available via AVISO, which provide data in the study region and period, are included, i.e., geodetic missions and mission phases as well as exact repeat missions. Besides the static MSS, the temporal component, which is co-estimated to absorb the dominating ocean variability, is modeled with different basis functions to study their performance. On the one hand, global basis functions considering a linear trend and periodic functions are compared with B-Spline basis functions. The comparison of the static component to the global CNES_CLS15 MSS shows a reasonable agreement with a root-mean-square error in the range of 1–4 cm for the well-suited model configurations. To validate the modeling approach and the different analyzed configurations, the temporal model component is compared to gridded sea-level anomaly products. Although it is not (yet) a target quantity, the analysis can serve as a quality check of the MSS and the proposed modeling approach as well. It is shown that in regions with relatively low ocean variability the combination of a linear trend with an annual period is well suited to model the dominant temporal signal, whereas it is not sufficient in regions with strong ocean variability, e.g., close to the Agulhas Current. In those regions, the scenario which utilizes B-Splines in the temporal domain performs significantly better. In general, it is demonstrated that the proposed approach can be an alternative to the well-established MSS estimation procedures.

Monitoring Black Sea environmental changes from space: New products for altimetry, ocean colour and salinity. Potentialities and requirements for a dedicated in-situ observing system

In this paper, satellite products developed during the Earth Observation for Science and Innovation in the Black Sea (EO4SIBS) ESA project are presented. Ocean colour, sea level anomaly and sea surface salinity datasets are produced for the last decade and validated with regional in-situ observations. New data processing is tested to appropriately tackle the Black Sea’s particular configuration and geophysical characteristics. For altimetry, the full rate (20Hz) altimeter measurements from Cryosat-2 and Sentinel-3A are processed to deliver a 5Hz along-track product. This product is combined with existing 1Hz product to produce gridded datasets for the sea level anomaly, mean dynamic topography, geostrophic currents. This new set of altimetry gridded products offers a better definition of the main Black Sea current, a more accurate reconstruction and characterization of eddies structure, in particular, in coastal areas, and improves the observable wavelength by a factor of 1.6. The EO4SIBS sea surface salinity from SMOS is the first satellite product for salinity in the Black Sea. Specific data treatments are applied to remedy the issue of land-sea and radio frequency interference contamination and to adapt the dielectric constant model to the low salinity and cold waters of the Black Sea. The quality of the SMOS products is assessed and shows a significant improvement from Level-2 to Level -3 and Level-4 products. Level-4 products accuracy is 0.4-0.6 psu, a comparable value to that in the Mediterranean Sea. On average SMOS sea surface salinity is lower than salinity measured by Argo floats, with a larger error in the eastern basin. The adequacy of SMOS SSS to reproduce the spatial characteristics of the Black Sea surface salinity and, in particular, plume patterns is analyzed. For ocean colour, chlorophyll-a, turbidity and suspended particulate materials are proposed using regional calibrated algorithms and satellite data provided by OLCI sensor onboard Sentinel-3 mission. The seasonal cycle of ocean colour products is described and a water classification scheme is proposed. The development of these three types of products has suffered from important in-situ data gaps that hinder a sound calibration of the algorithms and a proper assessment of the datasets quality. We propose recommendations for improving the in-situ observing system that will support the development of satellite products.

Epoch-Based Height Reference System for Sea Level Rise Impact Assessment on the Coast of Peninsular Malaysia

The Peninsular Malaysia Geodetic Vertical Datum 2000 (PMGVD2000) inherited several deficiencies due to offsets between local datums used, levelling error propagations, land subsidence, sea level rise, and sea level slopes along the southern half of the Malacca Strait on the west coast and the South China Sea in the east coast of the Peninsular relative to the Port Klang (PTK) datum point. To cater for a more reliable elevation-based assessment of both sea level rise and coastal flooding exposure, a new epoch-based height reference system PMGVD2022 has been developed. We have undertaken the processing of more than 30 years of sea level data from twelve tide gauge (TG) stations along the Peninsular Malaysia coast for the determination of the relative mean sea level (RMSL) at epoch 2022.0 with their respective trends and incorporates the quantification of the local vertical land motion (VLM) impact. PMGVD2022 is based on a new gravimetric geoid (PMGeoid2022) fitted to the RMSL at PTK. The orthometric height is realised through the GNSS levelling concept H = hGNSS–Nfit_PTK–NRMDT, where NRMDT is a constant offset due to the relative mean dynamic ocean topography (RMDT) between the fitted geoid at PTK and the local MSL datums along the Peninsular Malaysia coast. PMGVD2022 will become a single height reference system with absolute accuracies of better than ±3 cm and ±10 cm across most of the land/coastal area and the continental shelf of Peninsular Malaysia, respectively.

A data-assimilative model reanalysis of the U.S. Mid Atlantic Bight and Gulf of Maine: Configuration and comparison to observations and global ocean models

A 15-year reanalysis (2007–2021) of circulation in the coastal ocean and adjacent deep sea of the northeast U.S. continental shelf is described. The analysis uses the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) and four-dimensional variational (4D-Var) data assimilation (DA) of observations from in situ platforms, coastal radars, and satellites. The reanalysis downscales open boundary information from the Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Service (CMEMS) global analysis. The dynamic model is forced by regional meteorological analyses, observed daily river discharges, and harmonic tides that augment the open boundary conditions.A complementary analysis of the mean seasonal cycle of regional circulation, also computed using ROMS 4D-Var but with climatological mean observations and forcing, is used to reduce biases in the CMEMS boundary data and to provide a dynamically and kinematically constrained Mean Dynamic Topography to use in conjunction with the assimilation of satellite altimeter sea level anomaly observations.The configuration of ROMS 4D-Var used is described, presenting details of the comprehensive suite of observations assembled, data pre-processing and quality control procedures, and background and observation error hypotheses. Control variables of the DA are the initial conditions, surface forcing, and boundary conditions of a sequence of non-overlapping 3-day analysis cycles.Comparisons to a non-assimilative version of the same ROMS model configuration show the added skill brought by assimilation of local observations. The improvement that downscaling with assimilation achieves over ocean state estimates from CMEMS and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Global Ocean Forecast System (GOFS) is demonstrated by the reduction in residuals of the DA, and by comparison to independent (unassimilated) observations. Wherever data volumes allow, skill assessments are made with the respect to anomalies from the mean seasonal cycle to emphasize performance at the ocean mesoscale.To highlight the utility of the analysis to inform studies related to coastal sea level variability and marine ecosystems, comparisons are made to unassimilated coastal sea level gauges and novel observations from sensors on fishing gear. The assimilation of coastal satellite altimetry data produces coastal sea level results that are coherent with observations across all time scales from interannual to tidal, while bias and correlation metrics show that bottom temperatures in regions of commercial fishing activity in the Mid-Atlantic Bight and the Gulf of Maine are modeled well.

Comparison of Mean Dynamic Topography Modeling from Multivariate Objective Analysis and Rigorous Least Squares Method

Filtering methods are usually used to combine the mean sea surface (MSS) and geoid (computable by global geopotential model (GGM)) into a common subspace, to model mean dynamic topography (MDT), which may lead to signal leakage and distortion problems. The use of the rigorous least squares (LS) method and multivariate objective analysis (MOA) alleviates these problems, and the derived MDTs from these two methods show better performance than MDTs derived from filtering methods. However, the advantages and disadvantages of these two methods have not been evaluated, and no direct comparison has yet been conducted between these two approaches regarding the performances in MDT recovery. In this study, we compare the performances of the MOA method with the LS method, providing information with respect to the usability of different methods in MDT modeling over regions with heterogeneous ocean states and hydrological conditions. We combined a recently published mean sea surface called DTU21MSS, and a satellite-only GGM named GO_CONS_GCF_2_DIR_R6, for MDT computation over four typical study areas. The results showed that the MDTs derived from the LS method outperformed the MOA method, especially over coastal regions and ocean current areas. The root mean square (RMS) of the discrepancies between the LS-derived MDT and the ocean reanalysis data was lower than the RMS of the discrepancies computed from the MOA method, by a magnitude of 1–2 cm. The formal error of the MDT estimated by the LS method was more reasonable than that derived from the MOA method. Moreover, the geostrophic velocities calculated by the LS-derived MDT were more consistent with buoy data than those calculated by the MOA-derived solution, by a magnitude of approximately 1 cm/s. The reason can be attributed to the fact that the LS method forms the design matrix segmentally, based on the error characteristics of the GGM, and suppresses high-frequency noise by applying constraints in different frequency bands, which improves the quality of the computed MDT. Our studies highlight the superiority of the LS-derived method versus the MOA method in MDT modeling.

Towards realistic dynamic topography from coast to offshore by incorporating hydrodynamic and geoid models

One of the major factors preventing utilization of realistic sea-level data is that various sources are referred to inconsistent vertical reference datum (VRD). This study presents a methodology for deriving instantaneous and realistic sea level data from the coastal to offshore areas of the Baltic Sea, by synergizing different sources of sea level data (tide-gauge (TG), hydrodynamic model (HDM) and satellite altimetry (SA)). The key component being the geoid that links the VRD of these different sources.HDMs are known to be a representable source of sea level data, however their VRD is often undisclosed. Therefore, they are often spatially and temporally biased with respect to in-situ data. This study demonstrates that by using geoid-referenced TG data that represents ‘realistic’ sea level it is possible to correct HDM, by deriving and applying a spatial bias correction. Three interpolation methods (linear, thin plate spline regression, and inverse distance weighted) are examined to derive the corrected HDM. The results showed an improvement with respect to TG data, and the annual mean dynamic topography of corrected HDM was improved by a factor of almost 1.5. Examination of the Sentinel-3A satellite along-track data also confirms the corrected HDM data to be more accurate. The methodology applied also identified problematic locations of HDM, SA and geoid data along with unreliable TG. This accuracy and conformity in sea level data are urgently required for a comprehensive understanding of climate change, marine engineering and navigation applications, which can be achieved by adapting the uniquely defined geoid for the vertical reference datum.