Far-reaching effects of the Hawaiian islands on the Pacific Ocean-atmosphere system

Using satellite data, we detected a wind wake trailing westward behind the Hawaiian Islands for 3000 kilometers, a length many times greater than obse rved anywhere else on Earth, This wind wake drives an eastward ocean curren t 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 tha t provides the feedback to sustain the influence of these small islands ove r a long stretch of the Pacific Ocean.