All About El Nino And La Nina:
Meaning:
• La Nina and El Nino are Complex weather phenomena which are brought on by changes in ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific region. They belong to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle's opposing phases.
• The east-central Equatorial Pacific's temperature variations between the ocean and atmosphere are described by the ENSO cycle.
• A typical El Nino or La Nina occurrence lasts nine to twelve months, however some long-lasting phenomena might last for years.
• The extraordinary warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean is referred to as El Nino, a climate pattern.
• It is a smaller phenomenon known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation's "warm phase" (ENSO).
• EL Nina happens more often than La Nina.
• The unusual cooling of the tropical eastern Pacific is referred to as La Nina, the "cold phase" of ENSO.
• Contrary to El Nino, which typically lasts little longer than a year, La Nina occurrences may last between one and three years.
• The Northern Hemisphere winter is typically when both phenomena reach their climax.
El Nina:
• Peruvian fishermen off the coast of their country were the first to notice El Nino when they noticed unusually warm water.
• It was given the Spanish name El Nino, which translates to "the little boy" in English.
• El Nino quickly expanded beyond the warmth of coastal surface waters to include irregular and severe climate shifts.
• The El Nino event does not follow a predictable cycle, it occurs erratically every two to seven years.
• The Southern Oscillation and El Nino both occur at the same time, according to climatologists.
• Over the tropical Pacific Ocean, there occurs a shift in air pressure known as the Southern Oscillation.
• The air pressure over the ocean drops when coastal waters in the eastern tropical Pacific warm up.
• These related events are known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation by climatologists (ENSO).
Monitoring La Nina and El Nino:
• Scientists, governments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) use a variety of technologies, including scientific buoys, to gather data about El Nino.
• A buoy is a type of floating item that is used to mark locations or serve as a warning for ships in rough waters. They typically have vivid (fluorescent) colors.
• These buoys gauge humidity, winds, and the temperatures of the ocean and the atmosphere.
• Scientists can more correctly predict El Nino and track its growth and effects around the world thanks to the buoys' daily data transmission to researchers and forecasters worldwide.
• Measurements of variations from average sea surface temperatures are done using the Oceanic Nino Index (ONI).
• El Nino occurrences can range in severity from mild temperature increases (about 4-5° F) with only little influence on local weather and climate to extremely severe increases (14-18° F) linked to global climatic shifts.
Index of Oceanic Nino (ONI):
The Oceanic Nio Index (ONI), which measures the deviation from the average sea surface temperature in the east-central Pacific Ocean, is the common method used to identify, assess, and forecast each El Nino episode.
Effects of El Nino:
Understanding non-El Nino Pacific Ocean conditions is essential to comprehending the idea of El Nino.
• In the tropical Pacific, the area of the Pacific Ocean between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, powerful trade winds typically blow westward.
• El Nino has an effect on local weather from Australia to South America and beyond as well as ocean temperatures, the strength and speed of ocean currents, the condition of coastal fisheries, and more.
• Convection over warmer surface waters results in higher precipitation.
• South America has a sharp rise in rainfall, which exacerbates coastal erosion and flooding.
• In areas devastated by natural disasters like floods or drought, diseases proliferate. In some regions of the world, flooding brought on by El Nino is linked to rises in cholera, dengue fever, and malaria, while a drought can result in wildfires that cause respiratory issues.
• It can occasionally have a positive effect as well. For instance, El Nino lowers the frequency of hurricanes in the Atlantic.
• El Nino causes droughts in Indonesia and Australia as it sends rain to South America.
• As reservoirs dry up and rivers carry less water, these droughts pose a threat to the area's water resources. Another concern is to agriculture, which depends on water for irrigation.
• Warm surface water is pushed toward the western Pacific by these winds, where it borders Asia and Australia. The sea surface is typically 0.5 meters higher and 4-5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer in Indonesia than Ecuador as a result of the warm trade winds.
• On the shores of Ecuador, Peru, and Chile, cooler waters rise to the surface due to the westward flow of warmer waters. The action in question is called upwelling.
• Cold, nutrient-rich water upwells to the euphotic zone, the ocean's top layer.
Historical El Nino Events:
• The most severe El Nino episodes of the 20th century were those of 1982–1983, and 1997–1998.
• Sea surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific were 9–18° F above average during the 1982–1983 period.
• The El Nino event of 1997–1998 was the first El Nino to be thoroughly studied from beginning to end.
• Drought conditions were brought on by the 1997–1998 incident in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Extremely strong rainfall and serious flooding were observed in Peru and California.
• The "year without a winter" was a time when temperatures in the Midwest broke records for warmth.
La Nina
• La Nina is Spanish for "The Little Girl." Other names for it include El Viejo, anti-El Nino, and just "a chilly event."
• Periods of below-average sea surface temperatures can be seen in the east-central Equatorial Pacific during La Nina episodes.
• The sea surface temperature has dropped by more than 0.9°F for at least five consecutive three-month seasons, which is indicative.
• There is a strong high pressure over the eastern equatorial Pacific when there is a La Nina event because the water temperature in the Eastern Pacific becomes significantly colder than usual.
The La Nina conditions:
• In the tropical Pacific, the region of the Pacific Ocean between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, cooler-than-average waters accumulate, which leads to La Nina.
• Lower-than-average air pressure across the western Pacific is a defining feature of La Nina. More rain is a result of these low-pressure areas.
• Rainfall that is above average over northern Brazil and southeastern Africa is another effect of la Nina occurrences.
• However, devastating floods in northern Australia are linked to powerful La Nina episodes. Higher-than-average pressure over the central and eastern Pacific is another characteristic of La Nina.
• As a result, there are fewer clouds and fewer raindrops in that area.
• Along the Gulf Coast of the United States, the pampas region of southern South America, and the west coast of tropical South America, drier-than-normal conditions have been noted.
Effect of La Nina:
• El Nino lowers the number of autumnal hurricanes in Europe.
• La Nina typically results in colder winters in southern/western Europe, which causes snow in the Mediterranean region, and milder winters in northern Europe (particularly the UK).
• Continental North America is where the majority of these conditions are felt. Stronger winds along the equatorial region, particularly in the Pacific, are among the broader effects.
• Favorable hurricane conditions in the central Atlantic and Caribbean.
• Greater tornado occurrences in different US states.
• La Nina brings about drought in Peru and Ecuador, two South American nations.
• Western South America's fishing industry typically benefits from it.
• In the western Pacific, La Nina enhances the possibility of landfall, especially into continental Asia and China, which are the region’s most susceptible to its effects.
• In Australia, it also causes significant flooding.
• In the western Pacific, Indian Ocean, and along the Somalian coast, temperatures rises.
2010's La Nina
The 2010 La Nina event coincided with one of the worst floods in Queensland, Australia, in recorded history. More than 10,000 people were required to leave their homes, and the disaster is thought to have caused more than $2 billion in damages.
India And Enso
• El Nino:
In India and Southeast Asia, droughts and weaker monsoons are both caused by strong El Nino episodes
• La Nina:
Compared to El Nino, a bigger portion of India is covered by the cold air
• Rainfall during the summer monsoon in Southeast Asia typically exceeds average in "La Nina years," especially in Bangladesh and northwest India
• The Indian economy, which depends on the monsoon for agriculture and industries, gains from this generally
• Winters in India are typically colder than average because of it. By transporting cold air from Siberia and South China, La Nina affects the Indian subcontinent
• This air combines with the tropical heating to create a north-south low-pressure system
• This north-south trough's related La Nina cold air has a propensity to move even further south, towards India
• This is significantly different from the cold air burst associated with El Nino, which is more northwest-southeast in direction
• There will be less influence from western disturbances due to the pressure pattern moving north to south
• The North East may not be significantly impacted by the cold temperatures, which can reach as far south as Tamil Nadu