Interannual and interdecadal oscillation patterns in sea level

Relative sea-level height (RSLH) data at 213 tide-gauge stations have been analyzed on a monthly and an annual basis to study interannual and interdecadal oscillations, respectively. Interannual variability was examined in five regions: eastern Pacific, western Pacific, equatorial Pacific, Eastern Atlantic, and western Atlantic. Throughout the Pacific, we have found three dominant spatio-temporal oscillatory patterns, associated with time scales of ENSO variability; their periods are 2, 2.5-3 and 4-6 y. Interannual variability with periods of 3 and 4.8 y is detected in the Atlantic RSLH data. -from Authors