Vision of a Clock-Based Network for Absolute Sea Level Monitoring

Asha Vincent; Jürgen Müller

doi:10.1007/1345_2024_265

Vision of a Clock-Based Network for Absolute Sea Level Monitoring

Asha Vincent^*
, Jürgen Müller

^*Corresponding author for this work

Institute of Geodesy

Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Research › peer review

Abstract

Global sea level shows an increasing trend for several decades driven mainly by climate change. Absolute Sea Level (ASL) changes can only be extracted from Relative Sea Level (RSL) measurements with proper reduction of vertical land movements of the bench marks. Atomic clocks at those tide gauges can potentially provide the absolute, near real-time physical height change. High-performance clocks with an uncertainty of 10⁻¹⁸ enable a height measurement with 1 cm accuracy. As RSL is related to regional tidal datums, one has to account for the local variations to obtain a globally consistent measurement of ASL. Hence, by incorporating land motion from clock observations, one can establish a consistent and uniform reference datum for assessing geoid-based absolute sea level changes worldwide.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Together Again for Geodesy - Proceedings of the General Assembly of the International Association of Geodesy, 2023
Editors	Jeffrey T. Freymueller, Laura Sánchez
Publisher	Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages	323-330
Number of pages	8
ISBN (Electronic)	978-3-031-91167-5
ISBN (Print)	9783031911668
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/1345_2024_265
Publication status	Published - 11 Jul 2025
Event	International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics General Assembly, IUGG 2023 - Messe Berlin, CityCube, Berlin, Germany Duration: 12 Jul 2023 → 20 Jul 2023 Conference number: 28 https://www.iugg2023berlin.org/

Publication series

Name	International Association of Geodesy Symposia
Volume	157
ISSN (Print)	0939-9585
ISSN (Electronic)	2197-9359

Conference

Conference	International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics General Assembly, IUGG 2023
Abbreviated title	IUGG General Assembly
Country/Territory	Germany
City	Berlin
Period	12 Jul 2023 → 20 Jul 2023
Internet address	https://www.iugg2023berlin.org/

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 13 Climate Action

Keywords

Absolute sea level
Atomic clocks
Physical height
Relative sea level
Relativistic geodesy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geophysics
Computers in Earth Sciences

Access to Document

10.1007/1345_2024_265Licence: CC BY 4.0

Cite this

Vincent, A., & Müller, J. (2025). Vision of a Clock-Based Network for Absolute Sea Level Monitoring. In J. T. Freymueller, & L. Sánchez (Eds.), Together Again for Geodesy - Proceedings of the General Assembly of the International Association of Geodesy, 2023 (pp. 323-330). (International Association of Geodesy Symposia; Vol. 157). Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH. https://doi.org/10.1007/1345_2024_265

Vincent, Asha ; Müller, Jürgen. / Vision of a Clock-Based Network for Absolute Sea Level Monitoring. Together Again for Geodesy - Proceedings of the General Assembly of the International Association of Geodesy, 2023. editor / Jeffrey T. Freymueller ; Laura Sánchez. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2025. pp. 323-330 (International Association of Geodesy Symposia).

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title = "Vision of a Clock-Based Network for Absolute Sea Level Monitoring",

abstract = "Global sea level shows an increasing trend for several decades driven mainly by climate change. Absolute Sea Level (ASL) changes can only be extracted from Relative Sea Level (RSL) measurements with proper reduction of vertical land movements of the bench marks. Atomic clocks at those tide gauges can potentially provide the absolute, near real-time physical height change. High-performance clocks with an uncertainty of 10−18 enable a height measurement with 1 cm accuracy. As RSL is related to regional tidal datums, one has to account for the local variations to obtain a globally consistent measurement of ASL. Hence, by incorporating land motion from clock observations, one can establish a consistent and uniform reference datum for assessing geoid-based absolute sea level changes worldwide.",

keywords = "Absolute sea level, Atomic clocks, Physical height, Relative sea level, Relativistic geodesy",

author = "Asha Vincent and J{\"u}rgen M{\"u}ller",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2024.; International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics General Assembly, IUGG 2023 ; Conference date: 12-07-2023 Through 20-07-2023",

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Vincent, A & Müller, J 2025, Vision of a Clock-Based Network for Absolute Sea Level Monitoring. in JT Freymueller & L Sánchez (eds), Together Again for Geodesy - Proceedings of the General Assembly of the International Association of Geodesy, 2023. International Association of Geodesy Symposia, vol. 157, Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, pp. 323-330, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics General Assembly, IUGG 2023, Berlin, Berlin, Germany, 12 Jul 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/1345_2024_265

Vision of a Clock-Based Network for Absolute Sea Level Monitoring. / Vincent, Asha ; Müller, Jürgen.
Together Again for Geodesy - Proceedings of the General Assembly of the International Association of Geodesy, 2023. ed. / Jeffrey T. Freymueller; Laura Sánchez. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2025. p. 323-330 (International Association of Geodesy Symposia; Vol. 157).

Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Research › peer review

TY - GEN

T1 - Vision of a Clock-Based Network for Absolute Sea Level Monitoring

AU - Vincent, Asha

AU - Müller, Jürgen

N1 - Conference code: 28

PY - 2025/7/11

Y1 - 2025/7/11

N2 - Global sea level shows an increasing trend for several decades driven mainly by climate change. Absolute Sea Level (ASL) changes can only be extracted from Relative Sea Level (RSL) measurements with proper reduction of vertical land movements of the bench marks. Atomic clocks at those tide gauges can potentially provide the absolute, near real-time physical height change. High-performance clocks with an uncertainty of 10−18 enable a height measurement with 1 cm accuracy. As RSL is related to regional tidal datums, one has to account for the local variations to obtain a globally consistent measurement of ASL. Hence, by incorporating land motion from clock observations, one can establish a consistent and uniform reference datum for assessing geoid-based absolute sea level changes worldwide.

AB - Global sea level shows an increasing trend for several decades driven mainly by climate change. Absolute Sea Level (ASL) changes can only be extracted from Relative Sea Level (RSL) measurements with proper reduction of vertical land movements of the bench marks. Atomic clocks at those tide gauges can potentially provide the absolute, near real-time physical height change. High-performance clocks with an uncertainty of 10−18 enable a height measurement with 1 cm accuracy. As RSL is related to regional tidal datums, one has to account for the local variations to obtain a globally consistent measurement of ASL. Hence, by incorporating land motion from clock observations, one can establish a consistent and uniform reference datum for assessing geoid-based absolute sea level changes worldwide.

KW - Absolute sea level

KW - Atomic clocks

KW - Physical height

KW - Relative sea level

KW - Relativistic geodesy

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105017367862

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DO - 10.1007/1345_2024_265

M3 - Conference contribution

AN - SCOPUS:105017367862

SN - 9783031911668

T3 - International Association of Geodesy Symposia

SP - 323

EP - 330

BT - Together Again for Geodesy - Proceedings of the General Assembly of the International Association of Geodesy, 2023

A2 - Freymueller, Jeffrey T.

A2 - Sánchez, Laura

PB - Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH

T2 - International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics General Assembly, IUGG 2023

Y2 - 12 July 2023 through 20 July 2023

ER -

Vincent A , Müller J. Vision of a Clock-Based Network for Absolute Sea Level Monitoring. In Freymueller JT, Sánchez L, editors, Together Again for Geodesy - Proceedings of the General Assembly of the International Association of Geodesy, 2023. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH. 2025. p. 323-330. (International Association of Geodesy Symposia). doi: 10.1007/1345_2024_265

Vision of a Clock-Based Network for Absolute Sea Level Monitoring

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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Cite this