El Niño and La Niña
Every few years a very noticeable change comes about in the temperature of the equatorial Pacific Ocean. The eastern side, which is usually the coolest part, warms up considerably, particularly in the ‘tongue’ of cold water in the equatorial east Pacific seen in Figure 1, whilst temperatures in the west decrease a little.
Figure 1: Annual mean sea surface temperature (degrees C), averaged from 1971-2000. Note the very warm water in the tropical west Pacific and the cold “tongue” along the equator in the east Pacific.© US Climate Prediction Center
Figure 2: The impact of El Nino on global temperatures © Crown Copyright, Met Office.
The processes in the ocean and atmosphere that control the evolution of El Niño events are complex. If you’d like to learn more about this fascinating phenomenon, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has an excellent web-based tutorial. You can work through this tutorial yourself to find out much more.
Come Rain or Shine: Understanding the Weather
Come Rain or Shine: Understanding the Weather
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