Kuroshio sea surface height fluctuations observed simultaneously with inverted echo sounders and TOPEX/POSEIDON

Sea surface height anomalies measured by inverted echo sounders with pressure gauges (IES/PGs) and TOPEX/POSEIDON are compared at six locations in the northwest Pacific near the Kuroshio where it separates from the Japanese coast. The instruments are positioned along a TOPEX/POSEIDON descending ground track near 35°N, 143°E. Good correlation is found between measurements, with best agreement near the Kuroshio, where the range of sea surface height change is largest. Correlations between IES/PG and TOPEX/POSEIDON sea surface height variations range from 0.70 to 0.97. Tides modeled and removed from the TOPEX/POSEIDON data at the inverted echo sounder sites compare well with tides measured by the IES/PGs. TOPEX/POSEIDON and IES/PG data are complementary in describing mesoscale variability in the Kuroshio region.