| Abstract: | Initial efforts in applying inverse methods to studies of ocean tides have focused on making the best use of a small number of observations to map tidal fields in a large area. As such, inversion can be viewed as an objective analysis scheme which uses a dynamically appropriate spatial covariance, derived from the shallow water equations, to interpolate and smooth a sparse data set. Data from recent altimetry missions are not sparsely distributed relative to tidal wavelengths in the open ocean, apparently reducing the need for complicated dynamically based interpolation schemes. Altimetric data sets are also quite large, making application of rigorous inversion methods to global tidal modeling a challenging computational problem. We describe here a new iterative solution scheme which allows us for the first time to fit the full set of TOPEX/Poseidon cross-over differences. The resulting solution (TPXO.3) fits validation tide gauges significantly better than previous inverse solutions. TPXO.3 also reduces residual cross-over variances relative to other recent inverse and empirical solutions, particularly in shallow water where improvements are dramatic. With the new solution approach very significant improvements in global tidal models should be possible in shallow areas and in the vicinity of complex bathymetry, where high-accuracy tidal modeling remains a challenging problem. With the recent improvements in the definition of tidal elevations in the open ocean it should now also be possible to resolve some long unanswered questions about tidal energetics and dynamics. Inverse methods provide a natural framework for addressing these issues, and making inferences about tidal dynamics. In particular, by bringing data and dynamics together in a single solution, we can rigorously test the consistency of the two. We present results of global and local inversions which suggest that over elongated bathymetric features oriented perpendicular to tidal flows, energy dissipation in the open ocean is significantly enhanced, presumably due to conversion of barotropic tidal motions into baroclinic modes. For the M2 tide our preliminary results suggest that perhaps as much as 0.5 TW of energy is dissipated in this manner. However, due to the simplified linear dynamics and limited spatial resolution used for our inversion, there are significant uncertainties associated with these results. A more careful application of inverse methods to make more rigorous inferences about tidal energetics, including use of more reasonable prior dynamics, and the highest possible spatial resolution, should allow for closure of the tidal energy budget within the next few years. |
