El Niño and La Niña

Phenomenon
Group 2 Presentation

Members:

Bryan Lesther Castro John Paul Castillo Ryan Joseph Hernandez

Emerson Passe Kerwin Jake Panis Stevenson Bunoan

Frewell Budaden Mac Hernandez

01 03 HOW DOES IT
ABOUT AFFECT
02 WHAT CAUSE 04 EFFECTS
 Global climate La Niña impacts tend to be opposite
those of El Niño impacts. In the tropics,
ocean temperature variations in La Niña also tend to

INTRODUCTION
be opposite those of El Niño.
 INTRODUCTION
During a La Niña year, winter temperatures are
warmer than normal in the Southeast and cooler
than normal in the Northwest.
1

WHAT IS THIS TOPIC ABOUT?

WHAT IS THIS
TOPIC ABOUT?
El Niño
• El Niño means The Little Boy, or Christ Child in
Spanish El Niño was originally recognized by fishermen
off the coast of South America in the 1600s, with the
appearance of unusually warm water in the Pacific

DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS
Ocean.

• refers to the large-scale ocean-atmosphere climate

interaction linked to a periodic warming in sea surface
temperatures across the central and east-central
Equatorial Pacific.

• El Niño is characterized by unusually warm ocean

temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific, as opposed to La
Niña, which is characterized by unusually cold ocean
temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific. El Niño is an
oscillation of the ocean-atmosphere system in the
tropical Pacific having important consequences
for weather around the globe.
 La Niña
• La Niña means The Little Girl in Spanish. La Niña is also
sometimes called El Viejo, anti-El Niño, or simply "a cold
event."

DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS
• La Niña is characterized by unusually cold ocean
temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific, compared to El
Niño, which is characterized by unusually warm ocean
temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific. The graphic
below shows the sea surface temperature in the
equatorial Pacific (20ºN-20ºS, 100ºE-60ºW) from
Indonesia on the left to central America on the right.

• La Niña episodes represent periods of below-average

sea surface temperatures across the east-central
Equatorial Pacific. Global climate La Niña impacts tend
to be opposite those of El Niño impacts. In the tropics,
ocean temperature variations in La Niña also tend to be
opposite those of El Niño.
El Niño Occurrences
• El Niño events occur roughly every two to seven years, as the warm cycle alternates
irregularly with its sibling La Niña—a cooling pattern in the eastern Pacific—and with
neutral conditions. El Niño typically peaks between November and January, though the
buildup can be spotted months in advance and its effects can take months to propagate
around the world.

OCCURENCES
• The tropical Pacific receives more sunlight than any other region on Earth, and much of
this energy is stored in the ocean as heat. Under neutral, normal conditions, the waters
off southeast Asia and Australia are warmer and sea level stands higher than in the
eastern Pacific; this warm water is pushed west and held there by easterly trade winds.

• But as an El Niño pattern develops and trade winds weaken, gravity causes the warm
water to move east. This mass, referred to as the "western Pacific warm pool," extends
down to about 200 meters in depth.
Venus has a beautiful
name, but it’s terribly hot
El Niño Occurrences

OCCURENCES
Venus has a beautiful
name, but it’s terribly hot
El Niño Occurrences

OCCURENCES
Venus has a beautiful
name, but it’s terribly hot
El Niño Occurrences

Thermocline
• a steep temperature gradient in a
body of water such as a lake,

OCCURENCES
marked by a layer above and
below which the water is at
different temperatures.

Venus has a beautiful

The red spot in the figure is the name, but it’s terribly hot

warm pool
La Niña Occurrences
• During La Niña, the easterly trade winds strengthen and cold upwelling along the
equator and the West coast of South America intensifies. Sea-surface temperatures
along the equator can fall as much as 7 degrees F below normal.

• La Niña conditions typically last approximately 9-12 months. Some episodes may persist
for as long as two years. La Niña events sometimes follow El Niño events, which occur at

OCCURENCES
irregular intervals of about two to seven years.

• La Niña is caused by a build-up of cooler-than-normal waters in the tropical Pacific, the

area of the Pacific Ocean between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
Unusually strong, eastward-moving trade winds and ocean currents bring this cold
water to the surface, a process known as upwelling.

Venus has a beautiful

name, but it’s terribly hot
La Niña Occurrences

OCCURENCES
Venus has a beautiful
name, but it’s terribly hot
La Niña Occurrences

OCCURENCES
Venus has a beautiful
name, but it’s terribly hot
La Niña Occurrences

OCCURENCES
Venus has a beautiful
name, but it’s terribly hot
More Info!

OCCURENCES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVlfyhs64IY

Venus has a beautiful

name, but it’s terribly hot
2
WHAT IS THE
CAUSES OF AN

CAUSES
IRREGULAR GLOBAL
CLIMATE?
 MILANKOVITCH CYCLE
According to Milankovitch’s
theory, these three cycles
combine to affect the
amount of solar heat that
reaches the Earth’s surface
and subsequently
influences climatic
patterns, including periods

CAUSES
of glaciation.

CURRENTS AND CO2

CONTENT
SUN STRENGTH Ocean currents carry heat around
the Earth. As the oceans absorb
Almost all of the energy that
more heat from the atmosphere,
affects the climate on Earth
sea surface temperature increases
originates from the Sun.
and the ocean circulation patterns
that transport warm and cold
water around the globe change. If
the oceans are warmer they can’t
absorb as much carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere.
 PLATES AND ERUPTIONS
The movement of the plates also
causes volcanoes and mountains
to form and these too can METEORITE IMPACTS
contribute to a change in Dust and aerosols being ejected
climate. Large mountain chains high into the atmosphere that
can influence the circulation of air prevent sunlight from reaching the
around the globe, and Earth. These materials insulate the
consequently influence the climate. Earth from solar radiation and
For example, warm air may be

CAUSES
cause global temperatures to fall
deflected to cooler regions by and the effects can last for a few
mountains. years.

CHANGES IN LAND
Vegetation absorbs CO2 and this
can buffer some of the effects of
global warming. On the other
hand, desertification amplifies
global warming through the
release of CO2 linked with the
decrease in vegetation cover.
GREENHOUSE EFFECT

CAUSES
Carbon dioxide stays in the
atmosphere much longer,
from years to centuries,
contributing to longer
periods of warming. These
gases trap solar radiation
in the Earth’s atmosphere,
making the climate warmer.
 3

AFFECT
GLOBAL
CLIMATE?
HOW DO IT

HOW DO IT AFFECT GLOBAL CLIMATE?

 EL NIÑO
El Niño is the periodic
warming of water in the
Pacific Ocean every few
years. When it occurs, it
means more energy is
available for storms to form
there. El Niño also affects
wind shear, which is when
air currents at a lower
altitude blow in a different
direction from winds
higher in the atmosphere.
Strong wind shear makes it
harder for hurricanes to
form.
LA NIÑA
HOW DOES IT AFFECT?
During a La Nina event, the
changes in Pacific Ocean
temperatures affect the
patterns of tropical rainfall
from Indonesia to the west
coast of South
America. These changes in
tropical rainfall patterns
affect weather patterns
throughout the
world. These effects are
usually strongest during
the winter months when the
jet stream is strongest over
the United States.
HOW DOES IT AFFECT?
 4
IN THE
EFFECTS OF EL
WHAT ARE THE

NIÑO AND LA NIÑA

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF EL NIÑO AND LA NIÑA IN THE PHILIPPINES?

 WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF EL NIÑO AND LA NIÑA IN THE PHILIPPINES?
• Severe drought and associated food insecurity,
flooding, rains, and temperature rises due to El
Niño are causing a wide range of health
problems, including disease outbreaks,
malnutrition, heat stress and respiratory
diseases.
• Rising temperatures and more variable rainfall
patterns can often reduce crop yields,
compromising food security.
• Since early 2015, more than 40 per cent of the
Philippines has been experiencing severe
drought triggered by El-Niño, causing the loss
of agriculture production amounting to 82
million US dollars.
• Poor harvest.
• Parts of the country are also experiencing a
shortage of power as electricity supplied by
hydroelectric dams ceased to function due to
low water levels.
• After rice, corn is the second most important food crop in
the Philippines. With the expected arrival of the La Niña

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF EL NIÑO AND LA NIÑA IN THE PHILIPPINES?

phenomenon following El Niño, stronger monsoon and
excessive rainfall may result in flooding, which would
cause further damage to crops and hinder replanting,
exacerbating the current food security situation.
• The drought affected water supplies and the livelihoods
of several towns in Cebu. The Philippine Red Cross has
distributed over 717,000 liters of water using its water
tankers and food packs to around 90,000 families in
several provinces.
• This cornfield in San Remegio, Cebu, is just one of the
many fields damaged by the extreme heat brought by El-
Niño. The Philippines Department of Agriculture
estimated that around 182,000 farmers have been
affected by the drought.
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