Characterization and validation of the heat storage variability from TOPEX/Poseidon at four oceanographic sites

Oceanic heat storage and heat storage rate are correlated to the sea surfac e height anomaly signals from the TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter data from 1992 t o 1998. The height anomaly data are decomposed through two-dimensional fini te impulse response filtering. The signal components are the basin-scale (s easonal), westward propagating (Rossby waves), eastward propagating (Kelvin waves), and mesoscale eddies and a small-scale residual. The sum of these filtered components does not depart significantly from the original signal. Correlations and rms differences are calculated to compare heat storage es timates on the basis of altimeter and in situ data at four sites: Tropical Atmosphere-Ocean Array, Hawaii Ocean Time-series Program, California Cooper ative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations, and hydrostation "S." The heat stor age anomaly differences range from 52 to 64 x 10(7) J m(-2), and the correl ations range from 0.67 to 0.88. The heat storage rate rms differences range from 97 to 228 W m(-2), and the correlations range from 0.66 to 0.82, The fraction of the variance associated with Rossby waves varies from 13% in th e equatorial Pacific to 62% in the tropical North Pacific. Conversely, in t he same regions the nonpropagating signal goes from 74 to 13%.