A One Year Comparison of Radar and Bubbler Tide Gauges at Liverpool

Abstract

Data from a new radar tide gauge and from a conventional bubbler pressure gauge were obtained over a period of a year at a test site at Liverpool in NW England. A comparison of the data sets has demonstrated that the two systems have similar individual accuracies of about 1 cm, consistent with the accura­ cies required for gauges in the UK and global networks. Radar technology has advantages over some other types of gauge with regard to ease of installation and maintenance. Therefore, our find­ ings suggest that radar has to be given strong consideration in future applica­ tions, especially at locations where vari­ ations in water density preclude the effective use of pressure systems.