DETERMINATION OF THE MAJOR SEMIDIURNAL TIDES OF THE NORTHWEST EUROPEAN CONTINENTAL-SHELF FROM GEOSAT ALTIMETRY

Geosat radar altimeter data from repeat cycles 1-38 of the Exact Repeat Mission (ERM) over the period November 1986 to August 1988 have been employed to derive the parameters of the semidiurnal ocean tides of the northwest European continental shelf using a modified form of response analysis. Values for M2 and S2 have been found to be compatible with those of previous empirical tidal maps and are estimated to be accurate to approximately 6 cm. This is an accuracy comparable to, or better than, that provided by current numerical models of the area. -from Authors