A preliminary examination of the winds and sea surface temperatures in the 120-year record of ocean climate produced by the Historical Sea Surface Temperature Project has provided evidence of two distinct ocean-wide modes of variablility. One of these has a typical time scale of a few years and is closely related to the El Nińo phenomenon. The other has a time scale of the order of 30--100 years and has exhibited sharp changes in higher southern latitudes. However, the uneven distribution of the marine observations in space and time is a potential source of spurious anomaly changes. A comparison of average ship winds for different-sized areas with winds derived for the same areas from weather charts is presented to illustrate the limited significance that can be attached to the local anomalies; this points up a need for the joint interpretation of anomaly changes over wider areas as resulting from changes in the characteristic behavior of synoptic pressure systems. A tentative explanation of the nearly simulatneous changes in the winds and sea surface temperatures of the latitude belt 40 ¿S to 50 ¿S is derived from Wyrthi's (1960, 1961) circulation model for the Southern Ocean. That region apparently plays a leading role in the long-term fluctuations of ocean climate through the Antarctic Intermediate Water and Sub-Antarctic Mode Water. These water masses acquire their characteristics from the surface energy balance and sea ice proceses in high southern latitudes and occupy a deep layer extending up to just below the thermocline in the tropical ocean; it is suggested that they could be a pathway for climatic signals from the Antarctic Ocean to the rest of the globe.