Pacific Decadal Oscillation and Sea Level Variability in the Bohai, Yellow, and East China Seas

Sea level variability off East China has been investigated based primarily on 10 years of Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/Poseidon altimetry data. The altimetric annual harmonic has a magnitude of 10 to 30 cm in amplitude and is highest in summer, agreeing well with independent tide-gauge data. After the inverse barometer effect is removed, the annual sea level cycle can be approximately accounted for by the steric height variation. Significant interannual sea level change was also observed from altimetry and tide-gauge data, with a range of similar to 10 cm. The interannual and longer-term sea level variability in the altimetric data are negatively correlated (significant at the 95% confidence level) with the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO), attributed in part to steric height change. The altimetric sea level rise rate is 0.64 cm yr(-1) for the period from 1992 to 2002, consistent with the tide-gauge rate of 0.6 cm yr(-1). These values are much larger than the rate of 0.24 cm yr(-1) observed at the same tide gauges but for the period from 1980 to 2002, implying the sensitivity to the length of data as a result of the decadal variability. The potential role of the PDO in the interannual and longer-term sea level variability is discussed in terms of regional manifestations such as the ocean temperature and salinity and the Kuroshio transport.