Spectra of sea level and current taken from the central Pacific during the NORPAX experiment contain broad peaks centered around 10-day periods. Zonal dispersion shows these peaks to be caused by Rossby-gravity waves. An empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis indicates that 44% of the variance can be attributed to these Rossby-gravity waves, and they show clear temporal modulation in amplitude. There is no evidence that the Rossby-gravity waves are generated locally, but coherence between the EOF and a modeled response to winds from Kapingamarangi Island, allowing for dispersion, suggests that these waves are generated by meridional wind stress in the west Pacific. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1989