The status of measurement of the Mediterranean mean dynamic topography by geodetic techniques

© 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. We review the measurement of the mean dynamic topography (MDT) of the Mediterranean using ellipsoidal heights of sea level at discrete tide gauge locations, and across the entire basin using satellite altimetry, subtracting estimates of the geoid obtained f...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Woodworth, Philip L., Gravelle, Médéric, Marcos, Marta, Wöppelmann, Guy, Hughes, Chris William
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2015
País:España
Recursos:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:digitalcsic_::a91389e5982032257360cdae83740404
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/126032
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Altimeter mean sea surface models
Geoid models
Mediterranean ocean circulation
Tide gauges and GPS
Descrição
Resumo:© 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. We review the measurement of the mean dynamic topography (MDT) of the Mediterranean using ellipsoidal heights of sea level at discrete tide gauge locations, and across the entire basin using satellite altimetry, subtracting estimates of the geoid obtained from recent models. This ‘geodetic approach’ to the determination of the MDT can be compared to the independent ‘ocean approach’ that involves the use of in situ oceanographic measurements and ocean modelling. We demonstrate that with modern geoid and ocean models there is an encouraging level of consistency between the two sets of MDTs. In addition, we show how important geodetic MDT information can be in judging between existing global ocean circulation models, and in providing insight for the development of new ones. The review makes clear the major limitations in Mediterranean data sets that prevent a more complete validation, including the need for improved geoid models of high spatial resolution and accuracy. Suggestions are made on how a greater amount of reliable geo-located tide gauge information can be obtained in the future.