Abstract
Results from several numerical ocean models were used in combination with available ocean bottom pressure data to quantitatively examine the skill of ocean models in simulating fast and slow bottom pressure variations and to test the quality of GRACE monthly fields of bottom pressure variations. The comparison between model simulations and bottom pressure data does reveal a substantial agreement between models and pressure measurements on high frequencies, but also some clear differences on longer time scales (> 1 year) that need to be corrected in order to improve estimates of the barotropic circulation. We also find a good agreement between monthly GRACE solutions and ECCO/GECCO syntheses that encourage us now to use the GRACE fields as constraints in ocean syntheses efforts. Differences of the order of a few centimeters appear consistent with previously estimated uncertainties provided by Quinn and Ponte (2008). There appears to be a large potential for assimilating GRACE data into ocean circulation models and thereby correct the seasonally varying barotropic circulation in the models, but results also highlight remaining uncertainties in the GRACE data.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bingham RJ, Hughes CW (2006) Observing seasonal bottom pressure variability in the North Pacific with GRACE. Geophys. Res. Lett. 33, L08607, doi: 10.1029/2005GL025489.
Kanzow T, Flechtner F, Chave A, Schmidt R, Schwintzer P, Send U (2005) Seasonal variation of ocean bottom pressure derived from gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE): Local validation and global patterns. J. Geophys. Res. (Oceans) 110, C09001 doi: 10.1029/2004JC002772.
Köhl A, Stammer D (2008a) Decadal sea level changes in the 50-year GECCO ocean synthesis. J. Clim. 21, 1876–1890.
Köhl A, Stammer D (2008b) Variability of the meridional overturning in the North Atlantic from the 50-year GECCO state estimation. J. Phys. Oceanogr. in press.
Köhl A, Stammer D, Cornuelle B (2007) Interannual to decadal changes in the ECCO global synthesis. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 37(2), 313–337.
Munekane H (2007) Ocean mass variations from GRACE and tsunami gauges. J. Geophys. Res. (Solid Earth) 112(B11), 7403?+, doi: 10.1029/2006JB004618.
Park J-H, Watts DR, Donohue KA, Jayne SR (2008) A comparison of in situ bottom pressure array measurements with GRACE estimates in the Kuroshio Extension. Geophys. Res. Lett. 35, L17601, doi: 10.1029/ 2008GL034778.
Ponte RM, Quinn KJ, Wunsch C, Heimbach P (2007) A comparison of model and GRACE estimates of the large-scale seasonal cycle in ocean bottom pressure. Geophys. Res. Lett. 34, L09603, doi: 10.1029/2007GL029599.
Quinn KJ, Ponte RM (2008) Estimating weights for the use of time-dependent gravity recovery and climate experiment data in constraining ocean models. J. Geophys. Res. (Oceans) 113(C12), 12013?+, doi: 10.1029/2008JC004903.
Rietbroek R, LeGrand P, Wouters B, Lemoine J-M, Ramillien G, Hughes CW (2006) Comparison of in situ bottom pressure data with GRACE gravimetry in the Crozet-Kerguelen region. Geophys. Res. Lett. 33, L21601, doi: 10.1029/2006GL027452.
Swenson S, Wahr J (2006) Post-processing removal of correlated errors in GRACE data. Geophys. Res. Lett. 33, L08402.
Siegismund F, Romanova V, Köhl A, Stammer D (2010) Bottom Pressure and Circulation Changes Estimated from GRACE and Ocean Synthesis. Manuscript in preparation.
Stammer D, Wunsch C, Giering R, Eckert C, Heimbach P, Marotzke J, Adcroft A, Hill CN, Marshall J (2002) The global ocean circulation during 1992–1997, estimated from ocean observations and a general circulation model. J. Geophys. Res. 107(C9), 3118, doi: 10.1029/2001JC000888.
Stammer D, Wunsch C, Giering R, Eckert C, Heimbach P, Marotzke J, Adcroft A, Hill CN, Marshall J (2003) Volume, heat and freshwater transports of the global ocean circulation 1993–2000, estimated from a general circulation model constrained by World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) data. J. Geophys. Res. 108(C1), 3007, doi: 10.1029/2001JC001115.
Stammer D, Wunsch C, Giering R, Zhang Q, Marotzke J, Marshall J, Hill CN (1997) The global ocean circulation estimated from TOPEX/POSEIDON altimetry and the MIT general circulation model. MIT Center for Global Change Science, Report 49.
Stammer D, Ueyoshi K, Köhl A, Large WB, Josey S, Wunsch C (2004) Estimating air-sea flux estimates through global ocean data assimilation. J. Geophys. Res. 109, C05023, doi: 10.1029/2003JC002082.
Stammer D, Köhl A, Wunsch C (2007) Impact of accurate geoid fields on estimates of the ocean circulation. J. A. O. Tech. 24, 1464–1478.
Thomas M (2002) Ocean induced variations of Earth’s rotation – Results from a simultaneous model of global circulation and tides. PhD dissertation, University of Hamburg, Germany.
Wunsch C, Heimbach P (2006) Estimated decadal changes in the north Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and heat flux 1993–2004. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 36, 2012–2024.
Acknowledgment
Helpful comments from R. Ponte are gratefully acknowledged. Thanks also go to the ECCO-GODAE and OMCT groups for providing their model results and to the data centers providing bottom pressure data. Funded, in part, through the DFG Projects STA410/9-1 and STA410/14-1, the DFG SFB 512, TP E1. as well as the BMBF GEOTECHNOLOGIEN project GOCE-GRAND-II (03F0421E). Contribution to the GECCO effort at the KlimaCampus of the University of Hamburg.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Stammer, D., Köhl, A., Romanova, V., Siegismund, F. (2010). Comparison of GRACE and Model-Based Estimates of Bottom Pressure Variations Against In Situ Bottom Pressure Measurements. In: Flechtner, F., et al. System Earth via Geodetic-Geophysical Space Techniques. Advanced Technologies in Earth Sciences. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10228-8_23
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10228-8_23
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-10227-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-10228-8
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)