Tropical Pacific Drifting Buoys
M.S. Swenson / AOML, Miami
At the end of August there were 272 satellite-tracked drifting buoys, of
which 75% 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 about 3N. The NEC is evident west of 130W. The
NECC is well established and there is evidence of tropical instability wave
activity at about 120W. SST anomalies (1C) at the end of the month tend to be
positive west of 170E.
Movements of drifting buoys in the tropical Pacific Ocean during August 1996.
The first (second) linear segment of each trajectory represents a two(three)
week displacement. Red (solid) paths show buoys drogued to 15-m depth; blue
(dotted) paths show undrogued buoys.