Anomalous 18.61-Year Nodal Cycles in the Gulf of Tonkin Revealed by Tide Gauges and Satellite Altimeter Records
Understanding nodal tidal characteristics is essential for accurate long-term tidal prediction. Observational nodal evolution of tides is mainly based on tide gauge records in coastal areas which are limited in time and space, thus impeding coherent determinations of basin-wide patterns of tidal var...
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/15/3672 |
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| author | Haidong Pan Adam Thomas Devlin Tengfei Xu Xianqing Lv Zexun Wei |
| author_facet | Haidong Pan Adam Thomas Devlin Tengfei Xu Xianqing Lv Zexun Wei |
| author_sort | Haidong Pan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Understanding nodal tidal characteristics is essential for accurate long-term tidal prediction. Observational nodal evolution of tides is mainly based on tide gauge records in coastal areas which are limited in time and space, thus impeding coherent determinations of basin-wide patterns of tidal variability. In this paper, we indicate the potential of satellite altimeter data to investigate 18.61-year nodal modulations of main constituents in the Gulf of Tonkin. Three tide gauges and multi-source satellite altimeter observations (TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason1, Jason2, and Jason3) revealed that 18.61-year nodal cycles in tidal amplitudes have noticeable deviations from the equilibrium tidal theory in the Gulf of Tonkin. In general, M<sub>2</sub> and N<sub>2</sub> nodal modulations are anomalously larger than theoretical values while K<sub>2</sub>, K<sub>1</sub>, and O<sub>1</sub> nodal modulations are noticeably smaller than theoretical values. Compared to point-based tide gauges, satellite altimeter records can provide basin-wide features of nodal modulations of main constituents. Although overlapping geographical blocks are applied to eliminate the effect of tidal alias originated from long-period sampling intervals, the estimation of nodal cycles of minor constituents are still questionable. Nevertheless, the methods described here provide a strong foundation for future research on time-varying tidal dynamics using the combination of tide gauges and satellite altimeter data. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:02:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-35cccbea5a92485798156c39f7ba204a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:02:47Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-35cccbea5a92485798156c39f7ba204a2023-12-03T12:58:16ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922022-07-011415367210.3390/rs14153672Anomalous 18.61-Year Nodal Cycles in the Gulf of Tonkin Revealed by Tide Gauges and Satellite Altimeter RecordsHaidong Pan0Adam Thomas Devlin1Tengfei Xu2Xianqing Lv3Zexun Wei4First Institute of Oceanography, and Key Laboratory of Marine Science and Numerical Modeling, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, ChinaSchool of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, ChinaFirst Institute of Oceanography, and Key Laboratory of Marine Science and Numerical Modeling, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, ChinaLaboratory for Regional Oceanography and Numerical Modeling, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, ChinaFirst Institute of Oceanography, and Key Laboratory of Marine Science and Numerical Modeling, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, ChinaUnderstanding nodal tidal characteristics is essential for accurate long-term tidal prediction. Observational nodal evolution of tides is mainly based on tide gauge records in coastal areas which are limited in time and space, thus impeding coherent determinations of basin-wide patterns of tidal variability. In this paper, we indicate the potential of satellite altimeter data to investigate 18.61-year nodal modulations of main constituents in the Gulf of Tonkin. Three tide gauges and multi-source satellite altimeter observations (TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason1, Jason2, and Jason3) revealed that 18.61-year nodal cycles in tidal amplitudes have noticeable deviations from the equilibrium tidal theory in the Gulf of Tonkin. In general, M<sub>2</sub> and N<sub>2</sub> nodal modulations are anomalously larger than theoretical values while K<sub>2</sub>, K<sub>1</sub>, and O<sub>1</sub> nodal modulations are noticeably smaller than theoretical values. Compared to point-based tide gauges, satellite altimeter records can provide basin-wide features of nodal modulations of main constituents. Although overlapping geographical blocks are applied to eliminate the effect of tidal alias originated from long-period sampling intervals, the estimation of nodal cycles of minor constituents are still questionable. Nevertheless, the methods described here provide a strong foundation for future research on time-varying tidal dynamics using the combination of tide gauges and satellite altimeter data.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/15/3672tidestidal variabilityGulf of Tonkinharmonic analysissatellite altimeter data18.61-year nodal cycle |
| spellingShingle | Haidong Pan Adam Thomas Devlin Tengfei Xu Xianqing Lv Zexun Wei Anomalous 18.61-Year Nodal Cycles in the Gulf of Tonkin Revealed by Tide Gauges and Satellite Altimeter Records Remote Sensing tides tidal variability Gulf of Tonkin harmonic analysis satellite altimeter data 18.61-year nodal cycle |
| title | Anomalous 18.61-Year Nodal Cycles in the Gulf of Tonkin Revealed by Tide Gauges and Satellite Altimeter Records |
| title_full | Anomalous 18.61-Year Nodal Cycles in the Gulf of Tonkin Revealed by Tide Gauges and Satellite Altimeter Records |
| title_fullStr | Anomalous 18.61-Year Nodal Cycles in the Gulf of Tonkin Revealed by Tide Gauges and Satellite Altimeter Records |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anomalous 18.61-Year Nodal Cycles in the Gulf of Tonkin Revealed by Tide Gauges and Satellite Altimeter Records |
| title_short | Anomalous 18.61-Year Nodal Cycles in the Gulf of Tonkin Revealed by Tide Gauges and Satellite Altimeter Records |
| title_sort | anomalous 18 61 year nodal cycles in the gulf of tonkin revealed by tide gauges and satellite altimeter records |
| topic | tides tidal variability Gulf of Tonkin harmonic analysis satellite altimeter data 18.61-year nodal cycle |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/15/3672 |
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