In an interview, he called the study "first rate" and said he thought its conclusions were correct for the tropical Pacific.

Many computer models correctly forecast that 1997 would be unusually warm in the tropical Pacific.

However, in the eastern tropical Pacific, dolphins live far from shore.

Another factor is an expected cooling of the tropical Pacific.

In the past, these climate models have been unable to simulate the behavior of the tropical Pacific finely enough to address the issue.

Now, for the last two years, the opposite pattern has appeared: cooler water in the eastern tropical Pacific but warmer elsewhere.

Palmyra not only is one of the most pristine places left in the tropical Pacific.

No sailor who has ever crossed the tropical Pacific at the right season will forget the idyll of the passage.

The tropical Pacific is emerging in some scientists' minds as perhaps the planet's most important source of short-term climatic changes.

This event has great impact on the wind, sea surface temperature, and precipitation patterns in the tropical Pacific.