According to recent reports, India is experiencing a colder than normal winter. As chills run up our spines, we may forget to question the reason behind this Pacific pole phenomenon.
We have the answer right here! This cold is due to the winter flow from north to south caused by the meteorological phenomenon known as La Niña.
Generally, El Niño and La Niña occur every 4 to 5 years. El Niño is more frequent than La Niña. Typically, episodes last nine to twelve months.
And this year La Niña will break records for the third year in a row!
The forecasts for the year 2023 foresee that its accompanying phenomenon, known as El Niño, will occur this fall and winter, with more than 50% probability.
Let’s know the difference between El Niño and La Niña.
Overview of El Niño and La Niña
- While El Niño refers to a band of warmer water that extends from west to east in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, La Niña occurs when the band of water extends from east to west and is colder.
- Both phenomena affect the climate around the world. In addition to having drastic effects on the climate, it can also cause changes in economies that depend on rainfall.
- The El Niño Southern Oscillation is when El Niño and La Niña together form a cyclical process.
- An El Niño year creates a miniature global warming crisis because warm water spreads across the tropical Pacific and releases a huge amount of heat into the atmosphere.
- There are chances that this year’s El Niña could raise the planet’s average surface temperature by more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
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El Niño and La Niña: effects on the northern Indian Ocean
- The El Niño summer has historically tended to produce the largest monsoon deficit, which will occur after the transition from a La Niña winter.
- This means that the pre-monsoon and monsoon circulations tend to be weaker in an El Niño year.
- It is assumed that the change in intensity of winds from the surface to the upper atmosphere is also weaker and may lead to increased cyclogenesis or cyclone formation.
- India is reportedly likely to experience a deficit monsoon in 2023 in case an El Niño emerges in the summer.
- In this monsoon deficit, extreme humidity and drought events are predicted. Isolated pockets of heavy or very heavy rainfall are likely, while in other areas the overall seasonal total could be poor.
the boy
source: Wikipedia
- The term El Niño means “little child” or “Christ child” in Spanish.
- It was first recognized by South American fishermen in the early 17th century, for which the phenomenon received its name.
- Another reason it has this name is that the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean tend to occur in December.
- The large-scale ocean-atmosphere climate interaction of El Niño is related to the periodic warming of sea surface temperatures across the central and east-central equatorial Pacific.
- It is associated with high pressure in the western Pacific.
El Niño: Affects India
El Niño negatively affects the Indian monsoons and therefore agriculture in India.
- When there is no El Niño and it is a normal monsoon year, the pressure distribution causes the coast of Peru in South America to have higher pressure than the region near northern Australia and Southeast Asia.
- While the Indian Ocean is warmer than adjacent oceans, it has relatively lower pressure.
- Because of this, moisture-laden winds move from near the western Pacific to the Indian Ocean.
- Moisture-laden winds move more from the ocean towards land, as the pressure on the Indian landmass is less than that on the Indian Ocean.
- If this normal pressure distribution is affected for any reason, the monsoons are affected.
Impacts of El Niño?
- El Niño causes the cold water on the surface of the Peruvian coast to warm.
- Normal trade winds are lost or reversed as the water warms.
- The flow of moisture-laden winds is directed towards the coast of Peru from the western Pacific, the region near northern Australia and Southeast Asia, causing heavy rains in Peru during El Niño years and the Indian subcontinent does not It has normal monsoon rains.
- The greater the difference in temperature and pressure, the greater the lack of rainfall in India.
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The girl
Source: Wikipedia
- The term La Nina means “girl” in Spanish. She is also called The Old Man which means cold event.
- Unlike normal monsoons, water temperatures in the eastern Pacific become colder when La Niña occurs.
- Because this occurs, there is strong high pressure over the eastern equatorial Pacific.
- There is now low pressure in the western Pacific and off Asia.
- La Niña causes droughts in Peru and Ecuador, heavy flooding in Australia, high temperatures in the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Somalia, and good monsoon rains in India.
- A La Niña is beneficial for the Indian monsoon.
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The effects of El Niño and La Niña in India
This is because El Niño generally means below-average rainfall for India, so of the 13 droughts India has faced, 10 have been during El Niño years and one during a La Niña year since 1950.
Indian agriculture is highly dependent on monsoons and due to this, decreased rainfall during monsoons usually results in lower than average agricultural yields.
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Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: ptivs2.edu.vn