Tropical Pacific Drifting Buoys M.S. Swenson / AOML, Miami
At the end of April there were 306 satellite-tracked drifting buoys,
of which 76% had subsurface drogues intact,
in operation for the WOCE/CLIVAR Surface Velocity
Program in the tropical Pacific Ocean. The SEC is evident across
the basin south of the equator and is vigorous in the western Pacific.
There is scant evidence of an NECC and the
NEC is weak and continuous across the basin. Equatorial SST
anomalies at the end of the month are generally warm
(< 1 C) west of 170E and cool (1 C) in the east.
There are significant warm anomalies (> 1 C) near the Central
American coast at 10N, 95W.
Movements of drifting buoys in the tropical Pacific
Ocean during April 1996. The linear segments of
the trajectories represent a two week displacement. Red (solid) paths show
buoys drogued to 15-m depth; blue (dotted) paths show
undrogued buoys.