LORENZO

MARCO
MARILLA
EL NINO AND LA NINA Group 3 MARQUEZ
MONDEJAR
PALMA
PAZ
EL NINO
Group 3
The Origin of  El Niño
 El Niño was originally recognized by fisherman off the
coast of South America as the appearance of unusually
warm water in the Pacific Ocean, occurring near the
beginning of the year.
 El Niño means The Little Boy or Christ child in Spanish.
This name was used for the tendency of the phenomenon
to arrive around Christmas.
The Origin of  El Niño
 The name El Niño now refers to the warm phase of
a large oscillation in which the surface temperature
of the central/eastern part of the tropical Pacific
varies by up to about 4°C, with associated changes
in the winds and rainfall patterns. The complete
phenomenon is known as the El Niño-Southern
Oscillation (ENSO). The warm El Niño phase
typically lasts for 8-10 months or so.
What is El Niño?
The El Niño story

 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.
What is El Niño?
The El Niño story

 Among these consequences are increased rainfall

across the southern tier of the US and in Peru, which
has caused destructive flooding, and drought in the
West Pacific, sometimes associated with devastating
brush fires in Australia. Observations of conditions in
the tropical Pacific are considered essential for the
prediction of short term (a few months to 1 year)
climate variations.
Normal Conditions
and
El Niño Conditions
In normal, non-El Niño conditions
the trade winds blow to the
west along the equator from
South America towards Asia
in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
These winds pile up warm
surface water off Asia, so that
the sea surface is about 1/2
meter (1 1/2 feet) higher at
Indonesia than at Ecuador in
South America
During El Niño Conditions

the trade winds relax in the

central and western Pacific
leading to a flattening of the
thermocline (blue band) due to
a depression of the thermocline
in the eastern Pacific, and an
elevation of the thermocline in
the west.
Recognizing El Niño
Normal conditions:

In December 1993 the sea

surface temperatures and the
winds were near normal, with
warm water in the Western
Pacific Ocean (red on the top
panel of the December 1993
plot), and cool water, called
the "cold tongue" in the
Eastern Pacific Ocean (green
on the top panel of the
December 1993 plot). 
El Niño conditions: 

December 1997 was near the

peak of a strong El Niño year.

In December 1997 the warm

water ( red in the top panel)) has
spread from the western Pacific
Ocean towards the east (in the
direction of South America),
La Niña conditions:

December 1998 was a

strong La Niña (cold)
event. The cold tongue
(blue) is cooler than
usual by about 3°
Centigrade (5.4°
Fahrenheit).
El Niño Impacts
on the
Global Climate
El Niño Impact on the Global Climate
El Niño's impacts depend on a variety of
factors, such as intensity and extent of
ocean warming, and the time of year.
Contrary to popular belief, not all effects
are negative.
El Niño can help to suppress Atlantic
hurricane activity. In the United States, it
typically brings beneficial winter
precipitation to the arid Southwest, less
wintry weather across the North, and a
reduced risk of Florida wildfires.
Regional impacts
AFRICA: East Africa experiences long rains from March to May, wetter-than-normal conditions. Conditions
are also drier than normal from December to February in south-central Africa

ASIA: As warm water spreads from the west Pacific and the Indian Ocean to the east Pacific, it takes the rain
with it, causing extensive drought in the western Pacific and rainfall in the normally dry eastern Pacific

NORTH AMERICA: the impacts generally observed during the six-month period include; wetter-than-
average conditions along the Gulf Coast between Texas and Florida, while drier conditions are observed
in Hawaii, the Ohio Valley, Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountains.

South America : Because El Niño's warm pool feeds thunderstorms above, it creates increased rainfall across
the east-central and eastern Pacific Ocean, including several portions of the South American west coast. An El
Niño is associated with warm and very wet weather months in April–October along the coasts of
northern Peru and Ecuador, causing major flooding whenever the event is strong or extreme.
How Does El Niño
Affect Conditions?

Environmental and Human Conditions

How Does El Niño Affect Conditions?

 It changes atmospheric pressures with consequences for rainfall,

wind patterns, sea surface temperatures and can sometimes have a
positive, and sometimes a negative effect on those systems .
 In Europe for example, El Niño reduces the instances of hurricanes
in the Atlantic (El Niño reduces the number of autumnal
hurricanes). The beginning of the El Niño system will be seen over
North America in the preceding
How Does El Niño Affect Conditions?

 El Niño's negative impacts have included damaging winter storms

in California and increased storminess across the southern United
States. Some past El Niños also have produced severe flooding and
mudslides in Central and South America, and drought in Indonesia.
 An El Niño event may significantly diminish ocean productivity off
the west coast by limiting weather patterns that cause upwelling, or
nutrient circulation in the ocean.  These nutrients are the foundation
of a vibrant marine food web and could negatively impact food
sources for several types of birds, fish and marine mammal
EL NINO AND LA NINA Group 3
LA NINA
Group 3
The Origin of  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."
 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.
The Origin of  La Niña
 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. 
What is La Niña?
The La Niña story

 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.
What is La Niña?
The La Niña story

 A La Niña is preceded by a buildup of cooler-than-

normal subsurface waters in the tropical Pacific.
Then, easterly trade winds strengthen, cold
upwelling off the west coast of South America and
along the equator intensifies, and sea-surface
temperatures (SSTs) drop below normal.
Normal Conditions
and
La Niña Conditions
Normal conditions
In normal conditions, winds
above the Pacific Ocean gently
push warm water west. That
warm water travels from the
west coast of South America all
the way to Indonesia. As the
warm water moves, cold water
from the bottom of the ocean
slowly rises up to take its place
La Niña conditions
• In a La Niña year, the winds above
the Pacific Ocean are much, much
stronger than usual. This usually
happens once every few years.
• The winds are so strong during a
La Niña (that they push lots of
warm ocean water west toward
Indonesia. And that means that lots
of cold water rises to the surface
near South America.
Recognizing La Niña
La Niña conditions Strong La Niña
conditions during
December 1998. The
Eastern Pacific is cooler
than usual, and
unusually cool water
extends farther
westward than is usual
(see the blue color
extending further off-
shore from South
America along the
equator).
Normal Conditions
Normal Equatorial Pacific
Ocean surface
temperatures (December
1993), including the usual
cool water, called the 'cold
tongue', in the Eastern
Pacific (in blue, on the right
of the plot) and the usual
warm water, called the
'warm pool' in the Western
Pacific (in red, on the left).
Strong El Niño conditions Strong El Niño conditions, in
December 1997, are shown
on the bottom panel, with
warm water (red) extending
all along the equator.

El Niño and La Niña are

opposite phases of the El
Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
cycle, with La Niña
sometimes referred to as
the cold phase of ENSO and
El Niño as the warm phase
of ENSO.
La Niña Impacts
on the
Global Climate
La Niña Impact on the Global Climate
In the U.S., winter temperatures are
warmer than normal in the
Southeast, and cooler than normal
in the Northwest.  Global
climate La Niña impacts tend to be
opposite those of El Niño impacts.
In the tropics, ocean temperature
variations in La Niña tend to be
opposite those of El Niño.
Regional impacts
AFRICA: La Niña results in wetter-than-normal conditions in Southern Africa from December to February,
and drier-than-normal conditions over equatorial East Africa over the same period

ASIA: During La Niña years, the formation of tropical cyclones, along with the subtropical ridge position,
shifts westward across the western Pacific Ocean, which increases the landfall threat to China In March 2008,
La Niña caused a drop in sea surface temperatures over Southeast Asia by 2 °C. It also causes heavy rains
over Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia

NORTH AMERICA: above-average precipitation across the northern Midwest, the northern Rockies,
Northern California, and the Pacific Northwest's southern and eastern regions. Meanwhile, precipitation in the
southwestern and southeastern states is below-average. This allows for the development of many stronger-
than-average hurricanes in the Atlantic and fewer in the Pacific

South America : During a time of La Niña, drought plagues the coastal regions of Peru and Chile. From
December to February, northern Brazil is wetter than normal. La Niña causes higher than normal rainfall in the
central Andes, which in turn causes catastrophic flooding on the Llanos de Mojos of Beni Department, Bolivia.
How Does La Niña
Affect Conditions?
Environmental and Human Conditions
How Does La Niña Affect
Conditions?
 La Niña has less of an effect in Europe but it does tend to
lead to milder winters in Northern Europe (the United
Kingdom especially) and colder winters in southern/western
Europe leading to snow in the Mediterranean region.
 Elsewhere in the world, areas that are affected by La Niña
experience the opposite of the effects they experience with El
Niño. It is continental North America where most of these
conditions are felt.
How Does La Niña Affect
Conditions?
 In the western Pacific, the formation of cyclones shifts westwards which
increases the potential for landfall in those areas most vulnerable to their
affects, and especially into continental Asia and China.
 There is greater rainfall in the west too, especially in Australia, Indonesia
and Malaysia and further westwards toward the southern countries in the
African continent.
 Consequently, over the US and Canada there will be lower than average
precipitation and this pattern follows the coast southwards where the
western portion of South America will also experience lower than
average rainfall.
How Does La Niña Affect
Conditions?
 La Niña usually has a positive impact on the
fishing industry of western South America.
Upwelling brings cold, nutrient-rich waters to the
surface. Nutrients include plankton eaten by fish
and crustaceans.
 Higher-level predators, including high-value fish
species such as sea bass, prey on the crustaceans
Historical La Niña
and
El Niño Events
Historical La Niña and El Niño Events
 Recent and historical El Niños can
be seen in Pacific Sea Surface
Temperature representations
 the sea surface temperature at the
Equator in the Pacific Ocean
(Indonesia is towards the left, South
America is towards the right).
 Time is increasing downwards from
1986 at the top of the plot, to the
present, at the bottom of the plot. The
right panel is the sea surface
temperature anomalies (deviations)
from usual/normal values.
Sea surface temperatures (left
panel):
 The first thing to note is the blue
"scallops" on the right of the plot,
in the eastern Pacific. These
indicate the cool water typically
observed in the Eastern Pacific
(called the "cold tongue"). Cold
tongue temperatures vary
seasonally, being warmest in the
northern hemisphere springtime
and coolest in the northern
hemisphere fall.
 The red color on the left is the
warm pool of water typically
observed in the western Pacific
Ocean.
During the El Niño in 1986-
1987, the warm water (red)
penetrating eastward in the
Spring of 1987.

There is another El Niño in

1991-1992, and you can see
the warm water penetrating
towards the east in the
northern hemisphere spring of
1992. The El Niño in 1997-
1998 is a very strong El Niño.
Sea surface temperature
anomalies or deviations
(right panel):

El Niño and La Niña years are

easier to see in the deviations 
(anomalies) in the right hand
panel. Water temperatures
significantly warmer than the
norm are shown in red, and water
temperatures cooler than the norm
are shown in blue.
El Niño and La Niña in action!
 Hottest year on record
• Record warmth was observed across parts
of the western and central Pacific Ocean,
western Indian Ocean, southern South
America, and the southwestern contiguous
U.S. and scattered across parts of the
northern Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Middle
East, and eastern Asia. Averaged separately,
the global land surface temperature was
1.31°C (2.36°F) above the 20th century
average and also the third highest in the
138-year record, behind 2016 (warmest)
and 2015 (second warmest).
REFERENCES

 https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-noaa-data-show-2016-warmest-year-on-record-gl
obally
 https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ninonina.html
 https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/201713
 https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/enso/united-states-el-ni%C3%B1o-impacts-0
 https://www.onthesnow.com/news/a/8453/how-does-el-nino-affect-climate-change-
 https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/la-nina/en/