In the present paper we discuss the manifestation of planetary waves in sea surface temperature (SST) and ocean colour, and the insight that can be gained by comparing those observations with altimetry. We focus in particular on the discovery of planetary waves in ocean colour, which implies some effects of the waves on phytoplankton. A critical assessment of the various mechanisms that may be responsible for the formation of a signal in ocean colour highlights the important role played by horizontal advection of phytoplankton. However, vertical mechanisms such as upwelling of nutrients cannot be ruled out completely at this stage, and there remains ample scope for a systematic global study of the wave signature in height, colour and SST.
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