The north‐east trade of the Pacific Ocean

Abstract First, the structure of the trade in the Pacific Ocean north‐east of the Hawaiian Islands is shown with the use of vertical cross‐sections, which extend to 3 km and include the fields of temperature, moisture, and motion. It is shown that the trade‐wind inversion cannot be a discontinuity that separates an upper dry and lower moist layer. Downward transfer of mass through the inversion takes place. Next, the balance of heat and moisture is calculated. Although the use of several assumptions and approximate procedures is involved, a rather satisfactory result is obtained. In accordance with previous studies, the net heat export appears to be in the form of latent heat. The concluding section first offers a hypothesis concerning the destruction of the trade inversion. This is followed by a calculation of the momentum balance and a discussion of the mechanisms that distribute moisture and momentum in the vertical.