Pacific Ocean To determine the phase of ENSO, the most recent three-month sea surface temperature average for the area approximately to the southeast of Hawaii is computed, and if the region is more than above or below normal for that period, then an El Niño or La Niña is considered in progress. In the tropical western Pacific, the monsoon and the related wet season during the summer months contrast with dry winds in the winter which blow over the ocean from the Asian landmass. Worldwide, tropical cyclone activity peaks in late summer, when the difference between temperatures aloft and sea surface temperatures
Ocean observations of oceanic observation systems: Ocean observations The following are considered essential ocean climate variables by the Ocean Observations Panel for Climate (OOPC) that are currently feasible with current observational systems . Air Temperature Precipitation (meteorology) evaporation Air Pressure, sea level pressure (SLP) Surface radiative fluxes Surface thermodynamic fluxes Wind speed and direction Surface wind stress Water vapor Sea surface temperature (SST) Sea surface salinity (SSS) Sea level Sea state Sea ice Ocean current Ocean color (for biological activity) Carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO2) There is a composite network of satellites that generate observations. These include: There is a composite network