Observations from Programme Fran¿ais Oc¿an Climat dans l'Atlantique Equatorial (FOCAL) cruises in 1982 and 1984 have confirmed that in the central Atlantic Ocean the North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) has a well-defined seasonal regime with a very reduced flux during spring. The main core of the NECC always lies between 4 ¿N and 6 ¿N. Focal observations have also shown that a long-term change of NECC may occur and contribute to the development of an ''El Nino'' type event in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. ¿American Geophysical Union 1987