A movie of El Niño
| An El Niño is the abnormal warming of the waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean which occurs on average every two to seven years. However, in the 1990s it has occurred more often. A La Niña is the abnormal cooling of the waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. The occurrence of an El Niño has a large effect on the climate worldwide and especially in regions surrounding the Pacific Ocean. The 1997-1998 El Niño was one of the largest ever recorded. The movie above shows the sea surface winds (top panel), heights (middle panel), and water temperatures (bottom panel) of the 1997-98 El Niño event. |
Credit: NASA/JPL Air-Sea Connections
For more info: http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/elnino/elnino.html