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Sea surface slope (SSS) varies in response to a range of physical processes: tides, geostrophic flows, surface and internal waves, etc. We present the sea surface variation in the form of the SSS variability using 30 years of heterogeneous satellite altimetry measurements. We apply band‐pass filters to the along‐track SSS, and derive the mean and seasonal (annual and semi‐annual) components of SSS variability in multiple wavelength sub‐bands from 10 to 1,000 km. We show that the seasonal components are generally small (<10% in amplitude) compared to the mean variability. Through correlation analysis, we show evidence that SSS variability with wavelengths less than 30 km is dominated by wave height noise. At sub‐mesoscale to mesoscale (30–100 km) wavelengths, we identify high variability over western boundary currents and regions of rough topography. In this band, the high‐latitude Northern Hemisphere and the south Indian Ocean are associated with large annual cycles. The variability is higher in local wintertime except for a few regions, for example, the Bay of Bengal, which shows high variability in the boreal spring and fall. Through power spectral density analysis of the seasonal SSS variability, we find that the energy differences between local winter and summer are stronger at smaller scales (<100 km). The Ka‐band radar interferometry instrument on the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite mission will allow observation of ocean surface activities down to ∼20 km at submonthly time scales, but wave‐related errors (sea state bias, aliasing, wind‐driven activities, etc.) will still be a major challenge. Plain Language Summary: Many ocean processes have signatures in sea surface slope (SSS) in the 30–100 km wavelength scales, yet SSS in this band is neither well observed nor well studied globally. This paper focuses on seasonal variations of the SSS on length scales from 30 to 100 km, using satellite data collated over the past 30 years. We find high variability over strong currents and regions of rough ocean bottom topography. This variability is related to surface gravity waves and the density changes in the sub‐surface of the ocean. The seasonal changes are small compared to the mean spatial variations in SSS. Key Points: We identify high sub‐mesoscale sea surface slope (SSS) variability over western boundary currents and regions of rough topographySeasonal variations are small (<10% in amplitude) compared to the mean variability on length scales from 30 to 100 kmSSS variation is related to the significant wave height and thermocline depth [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western boundary currents (WBCs) are highly variable narrow meandering jets, making assessment of their volume transports a complex task. The required high-resolution temporal and spatial measurements are available only at a limited number of sites. In this study a method is developed for improving estimates of the East Australian Current (EAC) mean transport and its low-frequency variability, using complementary modern datasets. The present calculation is a case study that will be extended to other subtropical WBCs. The method developed in this work will reduce uncertainties in estimates of the WBC volume transport and in the interannual mass and heat budgets of the meridional overturning circulations, improving our understanding of the response of WBCs to local and remote forcing on long time scales. High-resolution expendable bathythermograph (HR-XBT) profiles collected along a transect crossing the EAC system near Brisbane, Australia, are merged with coexisting profiles and parking-depth trajectories from Argo floats, and with altimetric sea surface height data. Using HR-XBT/Argo/altimetry data combined with Argo trajectory-based velocities at 1000 m, the 2004–15 mean poleward alongshore transport of the EAC is 19.5 ± 2.0 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) of which 2.5 ± 0.5 Sv recirculate equatorward just offshore of the EAC. These transport estimates are consistent in their mean and variability with concurrent and nearly collocated moored observations at 27°S, and with earlier moored observations along 30°S. Geostrophic transport anomalies in the EAC system, including the EAC recirculation, show a standard deviation of ±3.1 Sv at interannual time scales between 2004 and 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The meridional transport in the Pacific Ocean subtropical cell is studied for the period from 2004 to 2011 using gridded Argo temperature and salinity profiles and atmospheric reanalysis surface winds. The poleward Ekman and equatorward geostrophic branches of the subtropical cell exhibit an El Niño-Southern Oscillation signature with strong meridional transport occurring during La Niña and weak meridional transport during El Niño. At 7.5°S, mean basinwide geostrophic transport above 1000 dbar is 48.5 ± 2.5 Sv (Sv ≡106 m³ s-1) of which 30.3-38.4 Sv return to the subtropics in the surface Ekman layer, whereas 10.2-18.3 Sv flow northward, feeding the Indonesian Throughflow. Geostrophic transport within the subtropical cell is stronger in the ocean interior and weaker in the western boundary during La Nina, with changes in the interior dominating basinwide transport. Using atmospheric reanalyses, only half of the mean heat gain by the Pacific north of 7.5°S is compensated by oceanic heat transport out of the region. The National Oceanography Centre at Southampton air-sea flux climatology is more consistent for closing the oceanic heat budget. In summary, the use of Argo data for studying the Pacific subtropical cell provides an improved estimate of basinwide mean geostrophic transport, includes both interior and western boundary contributions, quantifies El Niño/La Niña transport variability, and illustrates how the meridional overturning cell dominates ocean heat transport at 7.5°S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]