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El Niño and La Niña Phenomena
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La Niña
Description: La Niña is the cold phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), characterized by cooler than average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Cause: It is caused by the strengthening of the trade winds which enhance the upwelling of cold water from the deep ocean to the surface in the equatorial Pacific. Effects on global weather patterns: La Niña often brings colder and wetter winters to the northern Rockies, Pacific Northwest, and Ohio Valley, and warmer, drier conditions to the southern parts of the U.S. It can also contribute to more intense and numerous tropical cyclones in the Pacific.
El Niño
Description: El Niño is a warm phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), characterized by a band of warm ocean water developing in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific. Cause: It is caused by a weakening of the trade winds, which normally blow west along the equator. This leads to the warming of the surface water of the Pacific Ocean. Effects on global weather patterns: El Niño can lead to increased rainfall and warmer temperatures in the eastern Pacific, and drought in the western Pacific, affecting weather patterns globally. For example, it can cause wetter conditions in the southern United States and parts of South America, and drier conditions in Southeast Asia and Australia.
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