Tropical Pacific Drifting Buoys
M.S. Swenson / AOML, Miami
At the end of November there were 224 satellite-tracked drifting buoys, of which 66% had
subsurface drogues intact, in operation for the Global Drifter Program in the tropical
Pacific Ocean. The SEC is evident across the basin south of about 4N. The NEC is evident
west of 120W. The NECC is well established all the way to the east coast. Two tracks that
cross the equator with strong southward velocities are very unusual and may result from
tropical instability wave activity. SST anomalies at the end of the month tend to be
negative east of 105W and positive in the western tropical Pacific.
Movements of drifting buoys in the tropical Pacific Ocean during November 1996.
The linear segments of each trajectory represent a two week displacement. Red paths
show buoys drogued to 15-m depth; blue paths show undrogued buoys.