Lateral Oscillations of the Pacific Equatorial Countercurrent

Abstract

Long equatorial waves recently discovered in the Pacific Ocean on satellite photographs are being linked to oscillations in sea level at Fanning Island and to the oscillatory trajectory of a drifting buoy. The drift pattern of the buoy suggests that lateral oscillations of the Equatorial Countercurrent with a period of about 34 days are responsible for the observed variations of sea level.