Doldrums Doldrums The doldrums is a colloquial expression derived from historical maritime usage, which refers to those parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean affected by a low-pressure area around the equator where the prevailing winds are calm. The doldrums are also noted for calm periods when the winds disappear altogether, trapping sailing ships for periods of days or weeks. The term appears to have arisen in the eighteenth century, when trans-equator sailing voyages became more common. Since this zone is where two trade winds meet, it is also called the Intertropical Convergence Zone. They roughly lie between latitudes
Tropical instability waves El Niño conditions are present. Tropical instability waves are not related to tropical waves, which are atmospheric disturbances that propagate westward along the Intertropical Convergence Zone, sometimes giving rise to tropical storms. In both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, a tongue of cold surface water usually extends westward along the equator from the continental margins. These "cold tongues" consist of water upwelling from the ocean depths, and are surrounded by warmer surface water in both hemispheres. The temperature difference between the cold tongues and the surrounding warm water is largest during the southern hemisphere winter. The Pacific cold tongue is