Eos · 1995 · 44 citations · 0 references
Natural SciencesEarth SciencesOceanographyMarine MeteorologyOcean CirculationPhysical OceanographyOcean CurrentsSea LevelSea Surface TemperatureSea Surface Temperature VariabilitySea-level VariabilitySurface CurrentsMarine ObservationsSatellite Altimetry For Eddy DetectionSea Level AnomaliesSea Surface Height AnomaliesSea Surface Height Anomaly DetectionSea Surface Height ObservationsSea Surface Height VariabilitySurface Current Variability
A large, cyclonic, cold‐core eddy was present in the South China Sea in January 1994. The eddy was first indicated in altimetric data from TOPEX/Poseidon; measurements of sea‐surface height revealed levels characteristic of eddy activity. The surface topography of the 500‐km‐wide eddy was then charted by surface‐drifting buoy data and sea surface temperature acquired by satellite. The use of TOPEX/Poseidon data to study surface current variability is common, but the confirmation of transient sea level anomalies and their associated geostrophic velocities by several types of measurements is rare.