The colors in these images represent the height of the sea above mean sea level. It's not going to go away quickly. Volume is important because that indicates how much energy is stored, even at depths of hundreds of meters.
Area is important because that's where the energy transfer occurs.
The first peak in sea level occurred in July, followed by a peak in October-November. Fu said that even the double-peak pattern is poorly understood. Patzert likens the current phenomenon to a marathoner. Copyright 1997 Associated Press. All rights reserved.