Which ocean current is known for its warm surface waters, influencing climate patterns in the Pacific region?

The ocean current known for its warm surface waters that significantly influences climate patterns in the Pacific region is El Niño. This phenomenon occurs when there is a periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific. El Niño affects weather and climate globally, causing variations such as increased rainfall in certain areas and drought in others.

During an El Niño event, the typical westward trade winds weaken, allowing warm water to accumulate in the eastern Pacific. This shift has powerful implications for global weather patterns, as it alters jet streams and can lead to unusual weather conditions across various regions, such as increased precipitation in North America and drought in Australia.

Understanding El Niño is crucial for predicting climate variations, which is why it stands out as the correct answer for the influence of warm surface waters on Pacific climate patterns. Other options, while they have their own significance, do not specifically pertain to the influence of warm surface waters in the Pacific region like El Niño does.