The El Niņo Southern Oscillation is a climatic cycle that is characterized by reduced easterly winds around the Pacific equator. Without these winds, warm water accumulates off the coast of South America and slowly spreads across the Pacific. Higher than normal temperatures, shown as orange and red in the animation, alter global precipitation, ocean and atmospheric circulation. Full description.

The La Niņa is the climatic antithesis of El Niņo. Whereas El Niņo created equatorial Pacific warming due to weak surface winds, La Niņa arises from very strong easterly winds that promote the upwelling of deep, cold waters to the surface of the ocean. These colder than average waters are visible in the animation as blue and purple colors. Like El Niņo, the La Niņa also alters global precipitations, ... Full description.

This animation shows three years of sea ice concentration data, as observed by the NASA QuikSCAT satellite. Notice how the North Pole ice minimum is at the opposite time of the year as the South Pole's. This difference is cause by the axis of Earth's rotation creating different seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres. Full description.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's polar-orbiting satellites (POES) have been collecting sea surface temperature data since 1985. This animation is a compilation of all of the data collected from POES from 1985-2006. Red colors indicate warm water, blue equals cold. Look for recurrent features such as the Gulf Stream, El Nino and La Nina, and seasonal changes in heat content. Full description.

This animation shows the global annual temperature anomalies from 1880 to the present. As also shown in the animated graph, the average temperature of the Earth has increased since 1880. Notice the rapid appearance of orange and red over the U.S. in the last 25 years, these are areas where the temperature is much warmer than usual. Full description.

The International Year of the Reef 2008 is an effort, sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to bring attention to issues affecting coral reef health. This animation details some of the threats to coral reefs, the science being conducted to monitor and improve reef areas, and information on how people can help ensure reef survival. The animation was originally produced as ... Full description.