Comparison of recent ocean tide models using ground‐based tidal gravity measurements

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Abstract
Not less than 10 new ocean tide models have been produced in 1994–1995. We compare the periodic gravitational attraction and elastic loading effects calculated with these different models to the corresponding effects measured at 289 ground‐based tidal gravity stations distributed on all continents and several islands. This may be considered as a test of validity for the ocean tide models, as we show that these ground‐based data clearly detect serious imperfections such as the absence of the Arctic Ocean and of the Weddell and Ross Seas. We show, however, that such comparisons have their limitations: noise level in tidal gravity observations, distance of the observing stations from the ocean basins, mass conservation, and resolution of the ocean tide models. We find that the improvements with respect to the Schwiderski maps are real in some areas, but no model is systematically best for all regions. New observations of gravity tides should be made in the proximity (50 km) of seas with strong tides but of simple coastal geometry (Gulf of Biscaye, Brazil). Severe contradictions remain in some specific areas such as Indonesia, New Zealand, and Patagonia, where the diurnal wave O, is of special interest.

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