West Coast Sea Surface Height and Currents from Altimeters and Tide Gauges, 1992-2009

Sea Surface Height Anomalies and geostrophic velocities for the US west coast from 35.25°N to 48.5°N latitude and 227.75°E to 248.5°E longitude. The annually updated data product extends from October 14, 1992 through November 4, 2009, derived from AVISO quarter-degree grids and tide gauge observations. This dataset is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Use Cases

• Modeling coastal sea level anomalies based on the Sea Surface Height Anomalies (SSHA/SLA) field.
• Analyzing near-surface alongshore coastal currents based on the zonal and meridional geostrophic velocities.
• Studying the integration of satellite altimeter and tide gauge data based on the hybrid derivation method described.
• Investigating ocean circulation patterns in the US west coastal region based on the defined latitude and longitude bounds.

Strengths

• Provides data for a specific coastal region (35.25°N-48.5°N, 227.75°E-248.5°E) with enhanced coverage near shore.
• Combines satellite altimeter data with tide gauge observations for values within 0.75 degrees of the coast.
• Covers a temporal range of over 17 years, from October 1992 to November 2009.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The data product ends in 2009; more recent observations are not included.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from AVISO quarter degree DT UPD MSLA version 3.0 grids and interpolated tide gauge observations.

Time Range

October 14, 1992 through November 4, 2009

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 01:39:06.244380; freshness should be verified.

Geography

US west coast encompassing 35.25 deg-48.5 deg N latitude and 227.75 deg-248.5 deg E longitude