Hi Bailey,

The trade winds help to keep warmer water piled up in the far west of the tropical Pacific, and yes, this is part of the oceanic gyres that circulate in the North and South Pacific. When the trade winds relax, as happens during certain phases of the MJO, due to random internal variability, or as part of an El Nino-related coupled ocean-atmosphere system, a downwelling Kelvin wave can get started. Conversely, strengthened trade winds can lead to upwelling Kelvin waves. The warmer-than-average subsurface anomalies can weaken before affecting the surface, but this is not common. Regarding the megalodon, well... the ocean contains many mysteries! I'd put the probability of Megalodon 2023-24 at around 0.7%.