Combining sea level anomalies with the mean dynamic topography derived from the geoid of the EGM08 global gravity field model and the CLS01 mean sea surface height, this study examined the characteristics of global geostrophic surface currents and the seasonal and interannual variabilities of the mean velocity of the Kuroshio （the Kuroshio source and Kuroshio extension）. The patterns of global geostrophic surface currents we derived and the actual ocean circulation are basically the same. The mean velocity of the Kuroshio source is high in winter and low in fall, and its seasonal variability accounts for 18% of its total change. The mean velocity of the Kuroshio extension is high in summer and low in winter, and its seasonal variability accounts for 25% of its total change. The interannual variabilities of the mean velocity of the Kuroshio source and Kuroshio extension are significant. The mean velocity of the Kuroshio source and ENSO index are inversely correlated. However, the relationship between the mean velocity of the Kuroshio extension and the ENSO index is not clear. Overall, the velocity of the Kuroshio increases when La Nina occurs and decreases when E1 Nino occurs.
The sea level derived from TOPEX/Poseidon （T/P） altimetry data shows prominent long term trend and inter-annual variability. The global mean sea level rising rate during 1993-2003 was 2.9mm a^-1. The T/P sea level trend maps the geographical variability. In the Northern Hemisphere （15°-64°N）, the sea level rise is very fast at the mid-latitude （20°-40°N） but much slower at the high-latitude, for example, only 0.5 mm a^-1 in the latitude band 40°-50°N. In the Southern Hemisphere, the sea level shows high rising rate both in mid-latitude and high-latitude areas, for example, 5.1 mm a^-1 in the band 40°- 50°S. The global thermosteric sea level （TSL） derived from Ishii temperature data was rising during 1993-2003 at a rate of 1.2 mm a^-1 and accounted for more than 40% of the global T/P sea level rise. The contributions of the TSL distribution are not spatially uniform; for instance, the percentage is 67% for the Northern Hemisphere and only 29% for the Southern Hemisphere （15°-64°S） and the maximum thermosteric contribution appears in the Pacific Ocean, which contributes more than 60% of the global TSL. The sea level change trend in tropical ocean is mainly caused by the thermosteric effect, which is different from the case of seasonal variability in this area. The TSL variability dominates the T/P sea level rise in the North Atlantic, but it is small in other areas, and shows negative trend at the high-latitude area （40°-60°N, and 50°-60°S）. The global TSL during 1945-2003 showed obvious rising trend with the rate of about 0.3 mm a-l and striking inter-annual and decadal variability with period of 20 years. In the past 60 years, the Atlantic TSL was rising continuously and remarkably, contributing 38% to the global TSL rising. The TSL in the Pacific and Indian Ocean rose with significant in- ter-annual and decadal variability. The first EOF mode of the global TSL from Ishii temperature data was the ENSO mode in which the time series of the first mode showed steady rising trend.
Sea level variability in the East China Sea （ECS） was examined based primarily on the analysis of TOPEX/Poseidon altimetry data and tide gauge data as well as numerical simulation with the Princeton ocean model （POM）. It is concluded that the inter-annual sea level variation in the ECS is negatively correlated with the ENSO index, and that the impact is more apparent in the southern area than in the northern area. Both data analysis and numerical model results also show that the sea level was lower during the typical E1 Niflo period of 1997 to 1998. E1 Nifio also causes the decrease of the annual sea level variation range in the ECS. This phenomenon is especially evident in the southern ECS. The impacts of wind stress and ocean circulation on the sea level variation in the ECS are also discussed in this paper. It is found that the wind stress most strongly affecting the sea level was in the directions of 70° and 20° south of east,, respectively, over the northern and southern areas of the ECS. The northwest wind is particularly strong when E1 Nifio occurs, and sea water is transported southeastward, which lowers the sea level in the southern ECS. The sea level variation in the southern ECS is also significantly affected by the strengthening of the Kuroshio. During the strengthening period of the Kuroshio, the sea level in the ECS usually drops, while the sea level rises when the Kuroshio weakens.
