Sea surface height anomalies measured by inverted echo sounders with p
ressure gauges (IES/PGs) and TOPEX/POSEIDON are compared at six locati
ons in the northwest Pacific near the Kuroshio where it separates from
the Japanese coast. The instruments are positioned along a TOPEX/POSE
IDON descending ground track near 35 degrees N, 143 degrees E. Good co
rrelation is found between measurements, with best agreement near the
Kuroshio, where the range of sea surface height change is largest. Cor
relations between IES/PG and TOPEX/POSEIDON sea surface height variati
ons 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 tid
es measured by the IES/PGs. TOPEX/POSEIDON and IES/PG data are complem
entary in describing mesoscale variability in the Kuroshio region.