卫星高度计可获取有关海面波浪和粗糙度的信息，可给出较高精度的海浪有效波高值．本文以１９８８年ＧＥＯＳＡＴ卫星高度计资料为依据，研究分析了南海北部海域的有效波高特征，并与常规断面调查所得结论作了比较分析。结果表明，ＧＥＯＳＡＴ高度计研究区域波浪特征与常规手段所得结论基本一致，但对大风浪海况的研究，卫星高度计资料具有明显的优势． Satellite altimeters obtain information on sea surface wave and roughness, giving higher accuracy of the effective wave height of the waves. Based on the 1988 GEOSAT satellite altimetry data, this paper analyzes and analyzes the characteristics of effective wave height in the northern South China Sea. The results are compared with those from the conventional cross-section survey. The results show that the wave features in the GEOSAT altimetry area are basically the same as those obtained by conventional methods. However, the study on the storms and waves in the geostat altimetry has obvious advantages in satellite altimetry data.