IOS Tidal Package

Table of values for the node factor f
Table for the astronomical argument V+U

The IOS Tidal Package is a set of programs, manuals, and test data for analysing and predicting tidal elevation and/or current time series. As listed below, the original package consists of five source-code programs, nine associated sample input files and three manuals. Program output from the sample input should be identical to the results listed in various manual appendices. The analysis programs are designed for time series of up to one year in duration. If your time series are longer than 18.6 years, other programs (not provided here) are available upon request. For time series less than 18.6 years and greater than one year, we recommend that you perform a series of sequential yearly analyses. For time series less than six months, we recommend that you read the manual sections describing inference.

The programs are written in FORTRAN 77 and have been compiled and run on a variety of platforms such as PCs, VAX mainframes, and several types of UNIX workstations. They seem to be fairly free of bugs, as they have been used at a number of sites for some time. However, if you encounter any problems please contact Mike Foreman at mike.foreman@dfo-mpo.gc.ca. Some of the FORTRAN compilers on workstations may require specific options (e.g., to ensure that variables are saved via the ENTRY points in subroutines). We have compiled a partial list of these peculiarities and would appreciate further information from you.

New computer software that permits more versatility in the harmonic analysis of tidal time series has been recently developed and tested. Specific improvements over the methods used in the original IOS Tidal Package include: the analysis of randomly sampled and/or multi-year data; more accurate nodal correction, inference, and astronomical argument adjustments through direct incorporation in the least squares matrix; multi-constituent inferences from a single reference constituent; correlation matrices and error estimates that facilitate decisions on the selection of constituents for the analysis; and a single program that can analyze one or two dimensional time series. A manuscript, presently under review with the Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, describes this new software and its evaluation through comparisons with results from old techniques and applications to two problems that could not have been accurately solved with older software. They are: i) the analysis of ocean station temperature time series spanning twenty-five years, and ii) the analysis of satellite altimetry from a ground track whose proximity to land has led to significant data drop-out. 

The original package can be downloaded from directory pub/mike/tidpack of the anonymous ftp site ftp://ftp.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca, while the new software, along with sample input data and an explanatory readme file, can be downloaded from directory pub/mike/versatile_tidana of the same site. Please contact Mike Foreman for the username and password to access this site.

We appreciate citations to the manuals or JAOT paper if results obtained with the programs are published.

Contents of Original IOS Tidal Package:

a) Manuals

1. Foreman, M.G.G., 1977. Manual for Tidal Heights Analysis and Prediction. Pacific Marine Science Report 77-10, Institute of Ocean Sciences, Patricia Bay, Sidney, B.C., 58 pp. (2004 revision).

2. Foreman, M.G.G., 1978. Manual for Tidal Currents Analysis and Prediction. Pacific Marine Science Report 78-6, Institute of Ocean Sciences, Patricia Bay, Sidney, B.C., 57 pp. (2004 revision).
3. Foreman, M.G.G., and R.F. Henry, 1979. Tidal Analysis Based on High and Low Water Observations. Pacific Marine Science Report 79-15, Institute of Ocean Sciences, Patricia Bay, Sidney, B.C., 36 pp. (2004 revision).

1. The updated tidal heights analysis program, tide1_r2.f, and a PC executable tide1_r2.exe as described in PMSR 77-10.

2. The sample data input, tide2.dat, required as unit #4 input for the tidal heights analysis program and as listed in Appendix 2 of PMSR 77-10.
3. The standard constituent data file, tide3.dat, required as input #8 input for both the tidal heights and currents analysis programs, and listed in Appendix 1 of PMSR 77-10.
4. The updated tidal heights prediction program, tide4_r2.f, and a PC executable tide4_r2.exe as described in PMSR 77-10.
5. The sample data file, tide5.dat, listed in Appendix 4 of PMSR 77-10, and required as unit #8 input for both the tidal heights prediction program and the high/low tidal heights analysis program (where the last 12 lines are ignored).
6. The updated tidal currents analysis program, tide6_r2.f, and a PC executable tide6_r2.exe as described in PMSR 78-6.
7. The sample data file, tide7.dat, required as unit #4 input for the tidal currents analysis program and listed in Appendix 2(i) of PMSR 78-6.
8. The sample data file, tide8.dat, required as unit #10 input for the tidal currents analysis program and listed in Appendix 2(ii) of PMSR 78-6.
9. The sample data file, tide9.dat, required as unit #11 for the tidal currents analysis program and listed in Appendix 2(iii) of PMSR 78-6.
10. The updated tidal currents prediction program, tide10_r2.f , and a PC executable tide10_r2.exe as described in PMSR 78-6.
11. The sample data file, tide11.dat, required as unit #8 input for the tidal currents prediction program and listed in Appendix 4 of PMSR 78-6.
12. The updated high/low-water (and irregularly-sampled input) tidal heights analysis program, tide12_r2.f, and a PC executable tide12_r2.exe as described in PMSR 79-15.
13. The sample data file, tide13.dat, required as unit #9 input by the high/low water analysis program and listed in Appendix 4 of PMSR 79-15.

14. The sample data file, tide14.dat, required as unit #5 input by the high/low water analysis program and listed in Appendix 5 of PMSR 79-15.

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