What is usually the first sign that an El Nino event might be forming?
The first signs of an emerging El Niño or La Niña event are often observed in the ocean. The Bureau of Meteorology monitors and reports on a range of ENSO indicators, including: short-term bursts of tropical rainfall activity. water temperatures at the sea surface and at depth.
How does El Nino start?
El Niño occurs when warm water builds up along the equator in the eastern Pacific. The warm ocean surface warms the atmosphere, which allows moisture-rich air to rise and develop into rainstorms.
How do you detect El Nino?
In the tropical Pacific Ocean, El Niño is detected by many methods, including satellites, moored buoys, drifting buoys, sea level analysis, and expendable buoys.
What happens during an El Nino event?
During an El Niño event, the surface waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean become significantly warmer than usual. It also reduces the upwelling of cooler, nutrient-rich waters from the deep—shutting down or reversing ocean currents along the equator and along the west coast of South and Central America.
What are some benefits of El Nino?
Some benefits of El Niño:
- Fewer hurricanes and other tropical cyclones in the north Atlantic.
- Milder winters in southern Canada and the northern continental United States.
- Replenishment of water supplies in the southwestern U.S.
- Less disease in some areas due to drier weather (like malaria in southeastern Africa)
What is English term of La Niña?
La Niña (/lə ˈnin. The name La Niña originates from Spanish for “the little girl”, by analogy to El Niño, meaning “the little boy”. In the past, it was also called an anti-El Niño and El Viejo, meaning “the old man”.
Is La Nina coming?
The drier-than-average signature of La Niña in the central tropical Pacific is visible as the large orange area that ends in April 2021. Hence, the ENSO forecast team has concluded that La Niña is over, despite the sea surface temperature anomaly.
What is a La Nina winter like?
La Nina generally brings cool and wet winters to the northern tier of the U.S. La Nina winters are generally warm and dry in the southern tier of the U.S. Another La Nina could worsen the drought in the Southwest U.S. “We like La Ninas up here for the snow,” Bond said.