SEA-LEVEL AND SEA-SURFACE TEMPERATURE VARIABILITY AT THE CHATHAM ISLANDS, NEW-ZEALAND

Sea level and sea surface temperature variability at the Chatham Islan ds was investigated using data from 1992 to 1994. The study was aimed at testing the hypothesis that the Subtropical Convergence moves north and south of the islands and that the resulting (in phase) variations in sea level and satellite Sea Surface Temperature could be observed and hence used to reveal something about the temporal scales of these movements. Although variability at a variety of scales was observed th ere was little evidence for verification of the hypothesis. Sea level adjustment to changes in atmospheric pressure was found to be less tha n the conventional inverted barometer response, showing that local and /or remote wind forcing was contributing to the observed sea level var iability. However no simple local remote forcing mechanism could be id entified in the data. In contrast sea surface temperature anomalies we re correlated with local meridional winds stress.