Pacific Ocean Monthly Mean Sea Level Deviations

Monthly mean sea level data from 1975 to 1997, produced by the Integrated Global Ocean Services System (IGOSS) Sea Level Program in the Pacific. The program was established in 1988, following a pilot project starting in 1984, to provide timely data for climate-related scientific analysis. It includes deviations from a 1975-1995 mean, pressure-corrected anomalies, and derived products like tropical Pacific Ocean volume time series.

Use Cases

• Analyze monthly sea level deviations from the 1975-1995 mean at specific stations like Kushimoto or Davao for regional climate impact studies.
• Use pressure-corrected sea level anomaly maps (ISLPP.ANOMALIES) to study ocean-atmosphere interactions and the inverted barometer effect.
• Employ the quarterly tropical Pacific Ocean volume time series (ISLPP.VOLUME) for El Niño prediction and analysis of oceanic heat content.
• Track annual indices of the equatorial current system (ISLPP.CURRENTS, ISLPP.TOPOGRAPHY) to monitor changes in Pacific circulation patterns.
• Investigate corrected linear trends at five specific stations (e.g., Seldovia, Naha) for studies on local sea level rise or geological influences.

Strengths

• Time series cover a 23-year period from 1975 to 1997.
• Includes multiple derived products: deviations, pressure-corrected anomalies, ocean volume, and current indices.
• Data corrected for large linear trends at five specific stations to improve consistency.

Limitations

• Data coverage ends in 1997, making it temporally stale for contemporary climate studies.
• Specific row counts, column details, and geographic coverage beyond mentioned stations are unknown.
• The dataset's structure is described as header records followed by annual data records, which may require parsing for analysis.

Provenance

Source

Integrated Global Ocean Services System (IGOSS) Sea Level Program in the Pacific.

Collection Method

Monthly mean sea level data collected from stations, processed to produce deviations, anomalies, and derived indices.

Time Range

1975 to 1997.

Geography

Pacific Ocean, with specific stations in Japan, Philippines, Fiji, and Alaska mentioned.