Abstract
Satellites are the only foreseeable possibility for obtaining observations of the ocean circulation on the basin and global scales required to understand it. Such observations are essential for an understanding of the role of the ocean in various important problems (for example, climate). The 3-month Seasat mission1 has demonstrated2,3 that altimetry is capable of providing global observations of oceanic variability. We show here that the data from this short, sub-optimum, mission are also adequate for a determination of the absolute sea-surface topography of the ocean on large scales—a much more difficult4 and even more valuable measurement. An absolute determination of the subtropical gyre of the North Pacific Ocean has been obtained; we believe this to be the first direct measurement showing the existence of such a feature, that does not depend on conventional hydrography and a series of assumptions.
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Tai, CK., Wunsch, C. Absolute measurement by satellite altimetry of dynamic topography of the Pacific Ocean. Nature 301, 408–410 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/301408a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/301408a0
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