El Niño and La Niña: Complex weather patterns
El Niño and La Niña are weather patterns that result when ocean temperatures in the Pacific Ocean near the equator vary from the norm. Here's the lowdown.
2015 officialy the hottest year
The United Nations has declared 2015 the hottest year since record keeping began. It was also a year marked by the occurrence of a “super” El Niño.
What are El Niño and La Niña?
El Niño and La Niña are complex weather patterns resulting from variations in ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific.
La Niña is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El Niño as part of the broader El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern.
El Niño events are associated with a warming of the central and eastern tropical Pacific, while La Niña events are the opposite, with a sustained cooling of these same areas.
These deviations from normal surface and ocean temperatures can have large-scale impacts not only on ocean processes, but also on global weather and climate.
Floods and Droughts
El Niño and La Niña disrupt normal weather patterns, bringing heavy rain and droughts to different parts of the world.
The current El Niño has passed its peak while La Niña is possible this year.
El Niño and La Niña episodes typically last nine to 12 months, but some prolonged events may last for years. While their frequency can be quite irregular, El Niño and La Niña events occur on average every two to seven years. Typically, El Niño occurs more frequently than La Niña.
