PARIS: A new study found, La Niña is a driving force behind many severe weather events, and the power of this system over the Pacific Ocean could double due to climate change.
This could create extreme weather events around the world from extreme droughts to powerful storm systems that could cause vast amounts of damage.
Nations in the western Pacific Ocean could experience powerful precipitation events, while much of the United States will be subject to severe and extended droughts, the research reveals. Extreme weather events in the Pacific Ocean currently occur roughly once every 23 years, but new examination shows that frequency of the events could rise to once every 13 years.
La Niña is one phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (Enso) cycle, with the other being the better-known El Niño.
“La Niña episodes represent periods of below-average sea surface temperatures across the east-central Equatorial Pacific… In the tropics, ocean temperature variations in La Niña also tend to be opposite those of El Niño. During a La Niña year, winter temperatures are warmer than normal in the Southeast and cooler than normal in the Northwest,” NOAA officials wrote.
La Niña, is a Spanish term, which translates as “little girl.” Cool waters during these occurrences run around 5,000 miles across equatorial regions of the Pacific Ocean. The events have been linked to extreme weather events around the world, including blizzards, hurricanes, heat waves, and floods.
