Precise comparisons of bottom-pressure and altimetric ocean tides

A new set of pelagic tide determinations is constructed from seafloor pressure measurements obtained at 151 sites in the deep ocean. To maximize precision of estimated tides, only stations with long time series are used; median time series length is 567 days. Geographical coverage is considerably improved by use of the international tsunami network, but coverage in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific is still weak. As a tool for assessing global ocean tide models, the data set is considerably more reliable than older data sets: the root‐mean‐square difference with a recent altimetric tide model is approximately 5 mm for the M2 constituent. Precision is sufficiently high to allow secondary effects in altimetric and bottom‐pressure tide differences to be studied. The atmospheric tide in bottom pressure is clearly detected at the S1, S2, and T2 frequencies. The altimetric tide model is improved if satellite altimetry is corrected for crustal loading by the atmospheric tide. Models of the solid body tide can also be constrained. The free core‐nutation effect in the K1 Love number is easily detected, but the overall estimates are not as accurate as a recent determination with very long baseline interferometry. Key Points A new dataset of pelagic tide estimates is compiled from 151 seafloor sites. The new data form a useful tool for testing deep‐ocean tide models. Data are sufficiently precise to reveal atmospheric and body‐tide effects.