QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF SEA LEVEL DATA                
                                           by the                               
                   UH SEA LEVEL CENTER/NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA CENTER     
                                 JOINT ARCHIVE FOR SEA LEVEL                    
                                                                                
              Station  : Pointe Noire-A            Latitude:  04 48.0S          
              Country  : Congo                    Longitude: 011 51.0E          
              JASL #   : 234A                 Time Meridian: 015E (GMT + 1 hr)  
              GLOSS #  : 261      TOGA #: A035       NODC #: 30014101           
              Contributor  : ORSTOM                                             
                             LOP Museum                                         
                             43-45 rue Cuvier                                   
                             75231 Paris Cedex 05                               
                             FRANCE                                             
              Originator   : same                                               
              Original Data: analog                                             
              Instrmnt Type: A.OTT, float and stilling well                     
              Digitzd Intvl: one hour                                           
              Present Data : Hourly, daily, and monthly values obtained by:     
                    Hourly : direct digitization, no filter                     
                    Daily  : 119-point convolution filter (Bloomfield, 1976)    
                             centered on noon applied to the hourly data        
                             with respective periods of the 95, 50, and 5%      
                             amplitude points at 124.0, 60.2, and 40.2 hours    
                    Monthly: Simple average of all daily values; calculated if  
                             7 or fewer days are missing                        
              Span of data : 01 Jan 1980 - 30 Sep 1988                          
              Gaps > 1 mon : 10 May - 28 Jun 1983;09 Oct 1983 - 02 Jan 1985;    
                             12 Jan - 04 Mar 1985                               
              Time Refernce: GMT (00-23 hours)   Space-filler Flag   :-9999     
              Units        : millimeters         Missing Data Flag   : 9999     
              Existing     : No                  Operational         : No       
              Sat. Trans.  : No                  Distribution        : 1980-1988
              Refernce Levl: The data are relative to Hydrographic Zero of the  
                             French hydrographic charts.  There is no indication
                             that the data have been linked with readings of    
                             a tide staff to the Tide Staff Zero or to fixed    
                             benchmarks.                                        
                             234A is separate from 234B since they have
                             unique reference levels.
              Comment      : The hourly residuals show quasi-step function      
                             signatures on numerous occassions, especially in   
                             1982-83.  However, the daily and monthly means     
                             show a reasonably steady long-term mean sea level  
                             with consistent annual cycles.  Thus, the cause    
                             of the quasi-step functions in the hourly data     
                             is not clear.  Only 16 Sep - 5 Oct 1982 stands     
                             out as obviously high by about 10 cm.  The record- 
                             ing mechanism appeared to have problems at times   
                             during 1982-1985 as noted below in the questionable
                             fluctuations.                                      
                                                                                
                    CI MISSING              REPLACED GAPS     QUESTIONABLE      
              YEAR (%) DATA                 OR BAD DATA       FLUCTUATIONS      
              ---- --- -------------------- --------------- --------------------
              1980  98 68-70,231-232,       (21)232-(07)233 21-22,36-37,75-79,  
                       298-302              (22)297-(07)298 168-170,175,180,182-
                                                            183,211-213,226,229-
                                                            230,311,323-330     
              1981  92 178-185,224-236,     none            11,19-20,23-27,46-  
                       299-309                              49,137-138,155-159, 
                                                            236-237,239-244,254,
                                                            346-348             
              1982  92 56-65,79-86,         (13)291-(09)292 2,11-12,69,85-86,   
                       257-259,278-289                      126-130,200-201,230-
                                                            231,333-337,363     
              1983  66 22-25,119-123,       (10)034-(04)035 28-29,72-76,88-89,  
                       130-179,207-211,     (17)035-(02)036 224,280-281         
                       259-271,273-280,     (16)036-(03)037                     
                       282-365              (08)182-(18)182                     
                                            (08)184-(06)185                     
                                            (11)239-(23)239                     
                                            (07)247-(18)247                     
              1984   0 1-366                none            none                
              1985  71 1-2,12-63,68-73,     (21)098-(07)099 74-75,111,115,121-  
                       91-93,105-110,       (03)118-(12)118 135,148,176-181,203-
                       153-155,195-198,     (20)244-(09)245 209,227-228         
                       217-224,232-243,                                         
                       248-258,329-336,                                         
                       363-365                                                  
              1986  94 1-2,4-9,15-31,       (07)015-(15)015 none                
                       291-293              (21)167-(09)168                     
                                            (08)209-(06)210                     
                                            (22)210-(06)211                     
                                            (21)211-(06)212                     
                                            (11)215-(00)216                     
                                            (10)336-(06)337                     
                                            (07)343-(06)344                     
                                            (08)357-(06)358                     
              1987  99 182-184              none            84-86,176           
              1988  65 51-53,163-165,       (05)076-(13)076 221-230             
                       170-172,177-179,     (08)120-(06)121                     
                       194-221              (05)175-(03)176                     
                                            (23)182-(22)183                     
                                            (07)189-(06)190