Observations of vertical tidal motions of a floating iceberg in front of Shirase Glacier, East Antarctica, using a geodetic-mode GPS buoy

Abstract A dual-frequency GPS receiver was deployed on a floating iceberg downstream of the calving front of Shirase Glacier, East Antarctica, on 28 December 2011 for utilizing as floating buoy. The three-dimensional position of the buoy was obtained by GPS every 30 s with a 4–5-cm precision for ca. 25 days. The height uncertainty of the 1-h averaged vertical position was ∼0.5 cm, even considering the uncertainties of un-modeled ocean loading effects. The daily evolution of north–south (NS), east–west (EW), and up–down (UD) motions shows periodic UD variations sometimes attaining an amplitude of 1 m. Observed amplitudes of tidal harmonics of major constituents were 88%–93% (O1) and 85%–88% (M2) of values observed in the global ocean tide models FES2004 and TPXO-8 Atlas. The basal melting rate of the iceberg is estimated to be ∼0.6 m/day, based on a firn densification model and using a quasi-linear sinking rate of the iceberg surface. The 30-s sampling frequency geodetic-mode GPS buoy helps to reveal ice–ocean dynamics around the calving front of Antarctic glaciers.