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How the Pacific influences rainfall in Asia.

How the Pacific influences rainfall in Asia.
How the Pacific influences rainfall in Asia.
How the Pacific influences rainfall in Asia.
How the Pacific influences rainfall in Asia.
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335785
Gibbons, Fern
How the Pacific influences rainfall in Asia.
Illustration
12/30/2008
GibbonsElNinoLaNina.jpg
Caption from Oceanus magazine, Vol. 47, No. 1, Pg. 8:
El Niño/Southern Oscillation periodically shifts Pacific Ocean temperatures. When surface temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific are warmer (orange) during an El Niño, there are heavy rains in East Africa and droughts in India, Indonesia, and Australia. When eastern Pacific waters turn colder (blue) during a La Niña, rainfall patterns flip-flop in Asia, Africa, and Australia.
Image of the Day caption:
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a natural cycle that recurs over two to seven year periods. When surface temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific are warmer than usual (El Niño), heavy rains often hit East Africa and droughts beset India, Indonesia, and Australia. When ocean conditions reverse (La Niña), so do global rainfall patterns. WHOI scientist Kris Karnauskas and colleagues have uncovered evidence for another natural cycle that shifts Pacific Ocean winds and currents on century-long timescales and rearranges rainfall and weather patterns around the globe.
Image courtesy of Fern Gibbons
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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