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In the paper “Long-term and recent changes in sea level in the Falkland Islands” by P. L. Woodworth et al. (Journal of Geophysical Research, 115, C09025, doi:10.1029/2010JC006113, 2010), in paragraph 47 we adopted a value of −0.52 mm/yr for the estimated rate of present-day sea level change in the Falkland Islands due to glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA). This value was used to remove the contributions of GIA to our measurements of historical and recent rates of sea level change. However, it was based on a misreading of the data file of Peltier [2004] on the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level Web site (http://www.psmsl.org/train_and_info/geo_signals/gia/peltier). More reasonable values to apply to the observed changes since the mid-nineteenth century and in recent years would be −0.69 and −0.61 mm/yr respectively. Consequently, the long-term rate of sea level change between 1842 and the early 1980s, after correction for air pressure effects and for GIA, reported as +0.75 ± 0.35 mm/yr in paragraphs 1, 47, 55, and 61 should be +0.92 ± 0.35 mm/yr, the corresponding rate between 1842 and the midpoint of recent data of 1.06 ± 0.22 mm/yr in paragraphs 48 and 55 should be 1.23 ± 0.22 mm/yr, and the corresponding rate since 1992 reported as 2.51 ± 0.58 mm/yr in paragraphs 1 and 52 becomes 2.60 ± 0.58 mm/yr. The middle of paragraph 63 becomes “The Stanley data suggest that the rate of change of sea level in East Falkland since 1992 has been approximately 2.6 mm/yr, a rate supported by information from satellite altimetry.” These small GIA model corrections have no bearing on the main findings of our paper on the difference in the rates of sea level change between the historical (1842 to present-day) and recent (last 2 decades) epochs

Mean sea level measurements made at Port Louis in the Falkland Islands in 1981-2, 1984 and 2009, together with values from the nearby permanent tide gauge at Port Stanley, have been compared to measurements made at Port Louis in 1842 by James Clark Ross. The long-term rate of change of sea level is estimated to have been +0.75 ± 0.35 mm/year between 1842 and the early 1980s, after correction for air pressure effects and for vertical land movement due to Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA). The 2009 Port Louis data set is of particular importance due to the availability of simultaneous information from Port Stanley. The data set has been employed in two ways, by providing a short recent estimate of mean sea level itself, and by enabling the effective combination of measurements at the two sites. The rate of sea level rise observed since 1992, when the modern Stanley gauge was installed, has been larger at 2.51 ± 0.58 mm/year, after correction for air pressure and GIA. This rate compares to a value of 2.79 ± 0.42 mm/year obtained from satellite altimetry in the region over the same period. Such a relatively recent acceleration in the rate of sea level rise is consistent with findings from other locations in the southern hemisphere and globally

Two independent continuous global positioning system (CGPS) processing strategies, based on a double-difference regional network and a globally transformed precise point positioning solution, provide horizontal and vertical crustal motion estimates for Great Britain. Absolute gravity and geological information from late Holocene sea level data further constrain the vertical motion estimates. For 40 CGPS stations we estimate station velocities and associated uncertainties using maximum likelihood estimation, assuming the presence of white and coloured noise. Horizontal station velocity estimates agree to <1 mm yr(-1) between the two CGPS processing strategies and closely follow predicted plate motions. Residual velocities, generally < 1 mm yr(-1), follow no regular pattern, that is, there is no discernible internal deformation, nor any dependence on station monumentation or time-series length. Vertical station velocity estimates for the two CGPS processing strategies agree to similar to 1 mm yr(-1), but show an offset of similar to 1 mm yr(-1) with respect to the absolute gravity (AG) estimates. We attribute this offset to a bias related to known issues in current CGPS results and correct for it by AG-alignment of our CGPS estimates of vertical station velocity. Both CGPS estimates and AG-aligned CGPS estimates of present-day vertical crustal motions confirm the pattern of subsidence and uplift in Great Britain derived from Holocene sea level data for the last few thousand years: ongoing subsidence on Shetland, uplift in most areas of Scotland, and subsidence in large areas of England and Wales.

This paper presents estimates of rates of mean sea level (MSL) change around the UK based on a larger tide gauge data set and more accurate analysis methods than have been employed so far. The spatial variation of the trend in MSL is found to be similar to that inferred from geological information and from advanced geodetic techniques, which is a similar conclusion to that arrived at in previous, less precise and complete studies. The tide gauge MSL trends for 1901 onwards are estimated to be 1.4 +/- 0.2 mm/year larger than those inferred from geology or geodetic methods, suggesting a regional sea level rise of climate change origin several 1/10s mm/year lower than global estimates for the 20th century. However, UK MSL change cannot be described in terms of a simple linear increase alone but includes variations on interannual and decadal timescales. The possible sources of variation in a ‘UK sea level index’ are explored. Air pressure is clearly one such possible source but its direct local forcing through the ‘inverse barometer’ accounts for only one third of the observed variability. A number of larger scale atmospheric and ocean processes must also play important roles, but modelling them satisfactorily and separating the individual contributions presents a major challenge. As regards future regional UK sea level changes, one concludes that there is no basis for major modification to existing projections for the 2080s included in the 2002 UK Climate Impacts Programme studies.

Two independent continuous global positioning system (CGPS) processing strategies, based on a double-difference regional network and a globally transformed precise point positioning solution, provide horizontal and vertical crustal motion estimates for Great Britain. Absolute gravity and geological information from late Holocene sea level data further constrain the vertical motion estimates. For 40 CGPS stations we estimate station velocities and associated uncertainties using maximum likelihood estimation, assuming the presence of white and coloured noise. Horizontal station velocity estimates agree to <1 mm yr−1 between the two CGPS processing strategies and closely follow predicted plate motions. Residual velocities, generally <1 mm yr−1, follow no regular pattern, that is, there is no discernible internal deformation, nor any dependence on station monumentation or time-series length. Vertical station velocity estimates for the two CGPS processing strategies agree to ∼1 mm yr−1, but show an offset of ∼1 mm yr−1 with respect to the absolute gravity (AG) estimates. We attribute this offset to a bias related to known issues in current CGPS results and correct for it by AG-alignment of our CGPS estimates of vertical station velocity. Both CGPS estimates and AG-aligned CGPS estimates of present-day vertical crustal motions confirm the pattern of subsidence and uplift in Great Britain derived from Holocene sea level data for the last few thousand years: ongoing subsidence on Shetland, uplift in most areas of Scotland, and subsidence in large areas of England and Wales.

We compared estimates of crustal velocities within Great Britain based on continuous global positioning system (CGPS) measurements to predictions from a model of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA). The observed and predicted values for vertical motion are highly correlated indicating that GIA is the dominant geodynamic process contributing to this field. In contrast, motion of the Eurasian plate dominates the horizontal motion component. A model of plate motion was adopted to remove this signal in order to estimate intraplate horizontal motion associated with GIA. However, a coherent pattern of horizontal motion was not evident in the resulting velocity field. We adopted a recently published model of the British–Irish ice sheet to predict vertical crustal motion for a large number of spherically symmetric Earth viscosity models. Our results show that the adopted ice model is capable of producing a high-quality fit to the observations. The CGPS-derived estimates of vertical motion provide a useful constraint on the average value of viscosity within the upper mantle. Values of model lithospheric thickness and lower mantle viscosity are less well resolved, however. A suite of predictions based on an alternative ice model indicates that the vertical motion data are relatively insensitive to uncertainties in the ice loading history and so the constraints on upper mantle viscosity are robust.

CGPS coordinate time series analysis strategy was evaluated to determine highly accurate vertical station velocity estimates with realistic uncertainties. This strategy uses a combination of techniques to (1) obtain the most accurate parameter estimates of the station motion model, (2) infer the stochastic properties of the time series in order to compute more realistic error bounds for all parameter estimates, and (3) improve the understanding of apparent common systematic variations in the CGPS coordinate time series, which are believed to be of geophysical and/or technical origin. The strategy provided a pre-processing of the coordinate time series in which outliers and discontinuities were identified. Subsequent parameterization included a mean value, a constant rate, periodic terms with annual and semi-annual frequencies, and offset magnitudes for identified discontinuities. All parameters plus the magnitudes of different stochastic noise were determined using maximum likelihood estimation (MLE). Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis was used to study both the temporal and spatial variability of the common modes determined by this technique. After outlining the CGPS coordinate time series analysis strategy this paper shows initial results for coordinate time series for a four year (2000–2003) period from a selection of CGPS stations in Europe that are part of the European Sea Level Service (ESEAS) CGPS network

Long-term planning for flood risk management in coastal and estuarine areas requires timely and reliable information on changes in land and sea levels. In this paper we describe how we have produced a detailed, high-resolution map of current changes in land levels for the Thames region, and carried out a new assessment of the changes in sea level relative to the land along the Thames Estuary over the past few decades/past century. We conclude the paper by considering the potential benefits of extended monitoring for the long-term planning of flood and coastal defences in that region.

A CGPS coordinate time series analysis strategy was evaluated to determine highly accurate vertical station velocity estimates with realistic uncertainties. This strategy uses a combination of techniques to 1) obtain the most accurate parameter estimates of the station motion model, 2) infer the stochastic properties of the time series in order to compute more realistic error bounds for all parameter estimates, and 3) improve the understanding of apparent common systematic variations in the CGPS coordinate time series, which are believed to be of geophysical and/or technical origin. The strategy provided a pre-processing of the coordinate time series in which outliers and discontinuities were identified. Subsequent parameterization included a mean value, a constant rate, periodic terms with annual and semi-annual frequencies, and offset magnitudes for identified discontinuities. All parameters plus the magnitudes of different stochastic noise were determined using Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE). Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis was used to study both the temporal and spatial variability of the common modes determined by this technique. After outlining the CGPS coordinate time series analysis strategy this paper shows initial results for coordinate time series for a four year (2000-2003) period from a selection of CGPS stations in Europe that are part of the European Sea Level Service (ESEAS) CGPS network.

Tide gauges measure sea level changes relative to land. To separate absolute changes in sea level from vertical land movements tide gauges are often co-located with Continuous GPS (CGPS). In order to achieve an accuracy of better than 1 mm/yr, as required for sea level studies in the global change context, vertical land motion needs to be determined with the same accuracy. This is an ambitious goal for CGPS and needs a carefully designed analysis strategy. We have compared the independent results from six different analysis centres, using three different GPS processing softwares and a number of different analysis strategies. Based on the comparison, we discuss the achieved accuracy and the quality of the different strategies. The data analysed are from the CGPS network of the European Sea Level Service and cover the time window from the beginning of 2000 until the end of 2003. The comparison reveals large differences in the day-to-day variations of the coordinate time series and also in the seasonal cycle contained in these. The trends show systematic differences, depending on software and strategy used. To a large extent, the latter deviations can be explained by differences in the realisation of the reference frame, while some parts may be due to other, as yet, unidentified contributions. The results suggest that the reference frame and its relation to the center of mass of the Earth system may be the main limitation in achieving the accuracy goal for the secular velocity of vertical land motion., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

The current terrestrial reference frame, current global GPS products and current precise GPS processing techniques, limit the determination of accurate, long-term, vertical station velocities from continuous GPS measurements on a global scale. Several authors have reported biases in their vertical station velocities determined from continuous GPS when compared to alternative geodetic methods. It has been argued that until these problems have been resolved, the study of relative land and sea level rates on regional scales is the only way to investigate vertical land movements at tide gauges co-located with continuous GPS. In the UK, we have been operating a network of continuous GPS and absolute gravimetry stations for the purpose of determining vertical land movements at tide gauges for almost ten years. This network consists often continuous GPS stations and three absolute gravimetry stations, all of which are either co-located or close to tide gauges. In this paper, we compare vertical land movements obtained from both geodetic methods with estimates of vertical land movements from high quality, independent geological and geophysical evidence, and derive a GPS-specific bias for which the estimates of vertical land movements from all continuous GPS stations are corrected. Based on recently published mean sea level trends by the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level, we estimate a change in sea level, de-coupled from vertical land movements, for the British Isles