At the end of March there were 300 satellite-tracked drifting buoys, of which 74% had subsurface drogues intact, in operation for the WOCE/CLIVAR Surface Velocity Program in the tropical Pacific Ocean. These buoys indicated that the SEC continues strong in the western Pacific, but surface currents are generally weak elsewhere. Sea surface temperatures at the end of the month were near normal in the tropical band, but in the subtropics contained positive anomalies of about 1C south of 20S all across the basin, and up to 2C off the coast of Mexico.

FIGURE A1.1 - Movements of drifting buoys in the tropical Pacific Ocean during March 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.