At the end of January there were 278 satellite-tracked drifting buoys, of which 77% had subsurface drogues intact, reporting from the tropical Pacific Ocean. Movements of these buoys indicated that the NEC, NECC, and SEC were all well developed. There was clear indication of tropical instability waves eastward from about 130W, and of an eastward Equatorial surface jet generated by a westerly wind burst in the far western Pacific. At the end of the month the buoys were reporting SSTA on the order of -1C from the Equatorial dateline to Costa Rica. SSTA of +1C is being reported in the region of the SPCZ and along 20N from Guam to Mexico.

FIGURE A1.1 - Movements of drifting buoys in the tropical Pacific Ocean during January 1996. The first (second) linear segment of the trajectories represents a two (three) week displacement. Red (solid) paths show buoys drogued to 15m depth; blue (dotted) paths show undrogued buoys.