Tropical Highlights

  Table of Atmospheric Indices  (Table 1)

  Table of Oceanic Indices  (Table 2)

  Time Series

  Time-Longitude Sections

  Mean & Anomaly Fields

  Appendix 1: Outside Contributions

• Tropical Drifting Buoys  A1.1
  
• Thermistor Chain Data  A1.2
  
• TAO/TRITON Array (a)  A1.3
  
• TAO/TRITON Array (b)  A1.4
  
• East Pac. SST & Sea Level  A1.5
  
• Pacific Wind stress  A1.6
  
• Surface Currents (a)  A1.7
  
• Surface Currents (b)  A1.8
  
  

Tropical Pacific Drifting Buoys

Rick Lumpkin / Mayra Pazos, AOML, Miami

NOVEMBER 2007

During November 2007, 311 satellite-tracked surface drifting buoys, 77% with subsurface drogues attached for measuring mixed layer currents, were reporting from the tropical Pacific. Strong current anomalies were associated with well-developed instability waves on both sides of the equato. Elsewhere, currents were near their climatological November strengths. Cold anomalies of -0.5 to -3.0 C were measured by most drifters east of 130W and south of the equator, as seen last month, with the largest anomalies east of 110W. Cold anomalies were also seen in the northern TIW train, associated with advection of upwelled equatorial water. Also as seen in October, warm anomalies were common west of about 160W. These anomalies were less dramatic than last month (when they were mostly west of 180), with most observations +0.5 to +1.5C warmer than climatology.

FIGURE A1.1 a) Top: Movements of drifting buoys in the tropical Pacific Ocean. The linear segments of each trajectory represent a one week displacement. Trajectories of buoys which have lost their subsurface drogues are gray; those with drogues are blue. b) Middle: Monthly mean currents calculated from all buoys 1993-2002 (gray), and currents measured by the drogued buoys this month (black) smoothed by an optimal filter. c) Bottom: Anomalies from the climatological monthly mean currents for this month.