Antarctic Tide Gauge Database, version 1

The Antarctic Tide Gauge (AntTG) database provides tidal harmonic coefficients (amplitude and phase) for ocean surface height (tide-induced height perturbation relative to the seabed) at many coastal, ocean and ice shelf locations around Antarctica. The coefficients are provided for up to 8 tidal constituents (Q1, O1, P1, K1, N2 , M2, S2, K2) where data is available. These coefficients are primarily intended for users interested in validation of tide models for the Antarctic seas including the areas covered by the floating ice shelves (e.g., King and Padman, 2005; King et al., 2011; Stammer et al., 2014). The database is provided as single files in ASCII text and MATLAB *.mat formats, as well as in a KML package that can be viewed in Google Earth.

Several different measurement systems were used to collect the data. The quality of database entries varies widely, from short records of unknown accuracy to very precise, long-term records from bottom pressure recorders in the ocean and GPS systems installed on ice shelves. This database provides sufficient quality control information (record length, time step, and measurement type) for a user to judge whether a tidal analysis at a particular site is likely to be useful for their application.