Physical Processes
El Nino-Southern Oscillation
el NEEN-yoh (El Nino)
Also Known As ENSO
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El Nino-Southern Oscillation, ENSO, is the irregular two-to-seven-year swing between a warm El Nino phase and a cool La Nina phase in the tropical Pacific Ocean and the atmosphere above it. El Nino weakens the trade winds and warms the eastern Pacific, La Nina strengthens them and cools it, and each phase redraws rainfall and drought patterns for a large share of the planet for about a year at a time.
Facts
Process Type TimescaleAn irregular cycle recurring every two to seven years, each phase lasting about a year. 1 First Proposed Year Cross-Tradition Connections
Demonstrated By
ENSO arises from variations in winds and sea surface temperatures over the tropical Pacific.
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. El Nino-Southern Oscillation (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationDefinition sectionQuote, Definition section
Future trends in ENSO due to climate change are uncertain, although climate change exacerbates the effects of droughts and floods.
1. El Nino-Southern Oscillation (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationDemonstrated By: South America, Definition and terminology sectionQuote, Demonstrated By: South America, Definition and terminology section
Peruvian sailors named the warm south-flowing current El Nino, referring to the Christ Child, because it was most noticeable around Christmas.
1. El Nino-Southern Oscillation (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationDemonstrated By: Australia, Australia sectionQuote, Demonstrated By: Australia, Australia section
During El Nino events, the shift in rainfall away from the Western Pacific may mean that rainfall across Australia is reduced.
2. Jacob Bjerknes (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationProfessional career sectionQuote, Professional career section
In 1969, Jacob Bjerknes helped toward an understanding of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, by suggesting that the increased sea-surface temperatures were due to a reduction in the trade winds.
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