Sea-level height data from the NASA/European Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 oceanography satellite December 1, 2009 It shows a red and white area in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific that is about 10 to 18 centimetres (4 to 7 inches) above normal. These regions contrast with the western equatorial Pacific, where lower than-normal sea levels (blue and purple areas) are between 8 to 15 centimetres (3 and 6 inches) below normal. Along the equator, the red and white colours depict areas where sea surface temperatures are more than one to two degrees Celsius above normal (two to four degrees Fahrenheit).