These figures represent the east-west ocean currents in centimeters per second, at a location about 1,000 kilometers east of Hawaii on the equator. The top illustration shows the observed currents from 30 to 250 meters in depth as measured by an acoustic doppler current meter. The bottom illustration shows the same time period as represented by the TMAP ocean model simulation.
Warm colors represent water flowing eastward and cool colors show westward flow.
The vertical axis indicates the depth of the water in meters, with zero being the ocean surface. Between April and June, even in a normal year, there is modest eastward flow at the surface. The pattern of flow in this period during 1997 was relatively typical. However, in 1997 the TAO observations showed that both the EUC surge and the surface eastward flow in April-May were stronger than normal. The June 1997 eastward current surges were also particularly intense.