Sea Surface Height Annual Standard Deviation in the Australian Region

The standard deviation of sea surface height (in metres) estimated on a 0.2x0.2 degree grid for the region: 90E-180E, 60S-0. Sea surface height variability was estimated from tide gauges and altimeter GDR height observations for the years 1993-2001. The gridded fields are created using optimal interpolation and the grid scale is smaller than the largest gaps between satellite tracks so fine scale 0(50km) height gradients in the ocean are often missed. For most of the time data were only available from two satellites and at times only one.