The gravitational effect of ocean tide loading at high latitude coastal stations in Norway: Fid-Bau Portal

The gravitational effect of ocean tide loading at high latitude coastal stations in Norway

Lysaker, D. I. / Breili, K. / Pettersen, B. R.

Abstract Gravity measurements close to the ocean are strongly affected by ocean tide loading (OTL). The gravitational OTL effect consists of three parts, i.e. a change in gravity caused by direct attraction from the variable water-masses, by displacement of the observing point due to the load, and by redistribution of masses due to crustal deformation. We compare the OTL gravitational effect of several global models to observed time-series of gravity to identify the best model for four arctic observation sites. We also investigate if the global models are sufficient for correcting gravity observations. The NAO99b model fits the observations best at three stations. At two stations (Tromsø and Bodø) the global models explain the variability in the observations well. At the other two (Honningsvåg and Andøya), a significant periodic signal remains after the OTL correction has been applied. We separate two of the gravitational effects, the direct attraction and the change in gravity due to displacement, to study the local effects. Simple geometric models of the water load and independent measurements from local tide-gauges are used to calculate these effects. This leads to improved correspondence with the OTL signal, hence demonstrating the importance of careful modelling of local effects for correction of gravity observations in coastal stations.