Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Exploring the Effects of Atmospheric Forcings on Evaporation: Experimental Integration of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Shallow Subsurface
Published on: June 8, 2015
Far-reaching effects of the Hawaiian Islands on the Pacific Ocean-atmosphere system
1International Pacific Research Center, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA. xie@soest.hawaii.edu
Abstract:
Using satellite data, we detected a wind wake trailing westward behind the Hawaiian Islands for 3000 kilometers, a length many times greater than observed anywhere else on Earth. This wind wake drives an eastward ocean current that draws warm water from the Asian coast 8000 kilometers away, leaving marked changes in surface and subsurface ocean temperature. Standing in the path of the steady trade winds, Hawaii triggers an air-sea interaction that provides the feedback to sustain the influence of these small islands over a long stretch of the Pacific Ocean.
Related Concept Videos
What is Weather?
What is Climate?
Global Climate Change
Precipitation Processes
Variation of Atmospheric Pressure
Assuming the air temperature is constant at a given altitude and that the ideal gas law of thermodynamics describes the atmosphere to a good approximation, one can find the variation of atmospheric pressure with height.
Let p(y) be the atmospheric pressure at...
Boundary Layer Characteristics

