The zone is very cloudy and is marked by heavy rainfall. The rain drives the atmospheric circulation and the trade winds. This shift in warm water brings with it a great amount of heat energy. This heat energy is released into the atmosphere through equatorial evaporation. Heat flux is the amount of heat energy that crosses the surface of the ocean of a given area.
Heat energy raises the temperature of ocean water.
Variations in heat flux may cause variations in ocean temperature. Heat content of ocean water is given by its temperature. Heat released from the sea drives the atmosphere. The displacement of the intertropical Convergence Zone eastward influences where rain clouds form, and, consequently, alters the typical atmospheric subtropical jet stream pattern around the world. During a normal year, there is an area of high pressure located over the central, cooler portion of the Pacific, near South America.