# Context This dataset contains oceanographic and surface meteorological readings taken from a series of buoys positioned throughout the equatorial Pacific. This data was collected with the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) array, which consists of nearly 70 moored buoys spanning the equatorial Pacific, measuring oceanographic and surface meteorological variables critical for improved detection, understanding and prediction of seasonal-to-interannual climate variations originating in the tropics. # Content The data consists of the following variables: date, latitude, longitude, zonal winds (west<0, east>0), meridional winds (south<0, north>0), relative humidity, air temperature, sea surface temperature and subsurface temperatures down to a depth of 500 meters. Data taken from the buoys from as early as 1980 for some locations. Other data that was taken in various locations are rainfall, solar radiation, current levels, and subsurface temperatures. The latitude and longitude in the data showed that the bouys moved around to different locations. The latitude values stayed within a degree from the approximate location. Yet the longitude values were sometimes as far as five degrees off of the approximate location. There are missing values in the data. Not all buoys are able to measure currents, rainfall, and solar radiation, so these values are missing dependent on the individual buoy. The amount of data available is also dependent on the buoy, as certain buoys were commissioned earlier than others. All readings were taken at the same time of day. # Acknowledgement This dataset is part of the UCI Machine Learning Repository, and the original source can be found [here](https://archive.ics.uci.edu/ml/datasets/El+Nino). The original owner is the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. # Inspiration * How can the data be used to predict weather conditions throughout the world? * How do the variables relate to each other? * Which variables have a greater effect on the climate variations? * Does the amount of movement of the buoy effect the reliability of the data?