La Niña
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La Niña is the cool phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation. It is associated with cooler-than-average surface water in the central or eastern equatorial Pacific and stronger-than-normal trade winds.
Stronger easterly winds push warm surface water farther west and enhance the upwelling of cold water near the west coast of South America. This strengthens the normal east-west temperature contrast across the tropical Pacific.
La Niña changes rainfall and atmospheric circulation across the tropics and beyond. Its effects can include wetter conditions in some western Pacific regions, drought in parts of the Americas, and changes in tropical cyclone activity, winter weather, agriculture, and marine ecosystems.
La Niña events often follow El Niño but can also occur independently or persist for more than one year. Their effects depend on event strength, season, background ocean conditions, and interactions with other climate patterns.
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- Source / publisher: Wikipedia
- URL type: WWW
- Credits: Wikipedia
- URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Nin%CC%83a