Articles | Volume 17, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/hgss-17-1-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hgss-17-1-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Three historic tide gauge records from Svalbard
National Oceanography Centre, Joseph Proudman Building, 6 Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L3 5DA, United Kingdom
retired
Thorkild Aarup
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, UNESCO, 7 Place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris, CEDEX 07 SP, France
retired
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Observations of sea level, taken manually by reading a tide pole, were carefully taken at a number of locations around Ireland in 1842 as part of the first land survey of Ireland. Our study investigates how useful this type of sea level observation is for understanding mean sea level and tidal change. We find that when carefully adjusted for seasonal, meteorological, and astronomical factors, these data can provide important insights into changing sea levels.
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Short summary
Three historic tide gauge records from Svalbard were converted from 19th century tabulations into computer files. They are good quality and can be used in modern tidal analysis. We confirmed previous findings on tidal constants and showed how little non-tidal variability in sea level there was at these times. One gauge used had an unusual design but it worked well and so deserves to be known. Biographical information is given on the people who acquired these data.
Three historic tide gauge records from Svalbard were converted from 19th century tabulations...