Ocean Tide Modeling and Analysis

Ocean tide modelling combines hydrodynamic theory with observational data to simulate the periodic rise and fall of sea level under astronomical forcing. At its core, models solve the governing equations for barotropic flow over realistic bathymetry, occasionally incorporating baroclinic processes to account for internal tides. Advances in satellite altimetry and wide‐swath instruments have refined global and regional tidal atlases, while data assimilation techniques integrate tide‐gauge and satellite measurements to constrain model states and forecasts. Long‐term analyses now link tidal changes to sea‐level rise, stratification shifts and climatic variability. Accurate tide predictions support coastal flood risk management, navigation, sediment transport studies and renewable energy assessments, underpinning both fundamental ocean science and societal applications.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent work has demonstrated that strengthening ocean stratification modulates barotropic tides by enhancing energy transfer to internal tides, leading to observed amplitude trends in the principal semidiurnal constituent (M2) both offshore and near coasts. A three‐dimensional global model reproduced long‐term M2 changes of ~0.1 mm yr⁻¹ between 1993 and 2020, highlighting shelf regions where stratification overprints sea‐level‐driven tidal responses. Foundational analysis of tide‐gauge records across the Pacific and South China Sea has revealed that non-stationary tidal ranges co-vary with mean sea level, with roughly a third of stations showing ±50 mm tidal change per metre of sea-level fluctuation. These non-linear interactions underscore the need to consider joint tidal and sea-level trends in flood risk projections.

Research from all publishers

Temporary pressure gauges deployed in an inner-bay environment were analysed using least squares harmonic analysis to extract amplitudes and phases of eleven dominant constituents. Results confirmed a mixed semidiurnal regime with mean tidal range of 2.39 m and demonstrated the method’s accuracy for rapid tidal assessment. Wide-swath altimetry data from a calibration phase of a new satellite mission have been exploited to map tidal amplitude and phase in two complex coastal zones. Compared with in situ gauges, satellite-derived tides reduced amplitude errors to under 3 cm and phase lags to less than 3°, revealing fine‐scale spatial variability that improves on existing models. A global unstructured‐grid tidal atlas, enhanced by ensemble data assimilation, extends constituent spectra, refines coastal resolution and delivers superior altimetry de-aliasing. This atlas is now incorporated into standard satellite data processing and global reference frameworks, driving further improvements in sea-level research and operational forecasting.

Ocean Tide Modeling and Analysis publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in ocean tide modeling and analysis across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Barotropic flow: Depth-independent horizontal water movement driven by surface pressure gradients.

Harmonic constituent: Sinusoidal component of tidal motion defined by its amplitude and phase, corresponding to an astronomical frequency.

Satellite altimetry: Remote sensing technique measuring sea-surface height from orbit to infer tides and ocean circulation.

Data assimilation: Method of merging observational data with numerical models to improve estimate accuracy and forecasts.

Stratification: Vertical variation in seawater density, influencing internal tide generation and energy dissipation.

References

1. A likely role for stratification in long-term changes of the global ocean tides. Communications Earth & Environment (2024).
2. Coupling of sea level and tidal range changes, with implications for future water levels. Scientific Reports (2017).
3. Analysis and Prediction of Tidal Measurement Data from Temporary Stations using the Least Squares Method. Civil Engineering Journal (2024).
4. Tides in Complex Coastal Regions: Early Case Studies From Wide‐Swath SWOT Measurements. Geophysical Research Letters (2024).
5. FES2014 global ocean tide atlas: design and performance. Ocean Science (2021).