Abstract
Spaceborne altimeters provide accurate measurements of significant wave heights and wind
speeds. In the Yellowand East China Seas region, there are 17TOPEX/POSEIDON groundtracks
that provide long-term coverage of the area. These data can be used to study the seasonal and
regional variation of winds and waves. The results indicate that the spatial and temporal varia
tions of winds and waves in the region are strongly influenced by major current features such as
the Kuroshio. This implies that the wind and wave parameters derived from the spaceborne altim
eters can be used as tracers to study the air-sea and wave-current interactions on a regional scale
the size of the Yellow and East China Seas.
