La Niña

Noemie Rodriguez and Rica Mae B. Pareño

 La Niña
La Niña, Spanish for “the
girl”, on the other hand is the
exact opposite of El Niño. It
involves prolonged unusual
cooling (of at least -0.5) of
see surface temperatures in
central and eastern equatorial
Pacific that may last for 1-3
years. A La Niña can follow an
El Niño but historical records
show that El Niños occur
twice as frequent as La Niñas.
Cause of La Niña
La Niña is caused by
the strengthening of
the easterly trade
winds which blow
more warm water
toward the west and
allows the upwelling of
cold water in the east
(near west coast of
South America.
Effects of La
Niña
In the Philippines, La Niña
causes near normal to above
normal raInfall conditions,
particularly over the eastern
sector of the country. There is
also an observed increase in
the number of tropical
cyclones that enter the
Philippines Area Responsibility
or (PAR) as tropical cyclone
formation shift toward the
western Pacific Ocean.
Disasters
Preparedness
measures for disasters
associated with wetter
conditions brought by
La Niña are discussed
separate chapters on
tropical cyclones,
storm surges,
thunderstorms, and
flooding.
Health Problems
According to the DOH,
examples of common
health problems that arise
during La Niña are:
a) Diseases due to flood
contaminated water.
b)Leptospirosis
c) Dengue and malaria
d)Injuries and
accidents
 Diseases due to Flood-
Contaminated Water
Acute Gastroenteritis

Cholera
Hepatitis
Typhoid Fever
Leptospiros
is
Relates to striding
in flooded areas
contaminated by
urine of Infected
animals, like rats.
engue and malaria
Due to proliferation
of mosquitoes.
Injuries and accidents
Like contusions,
lacerations,
fractures (usually
because of flying
objects due to
strong winds) and
electrocution by
livewires submerged
in flood waters.
Effects of La Niña
In the Philippines, La Niña
causes near normal to above
normal rainfall conditions,
particularly over the eastern
sector of the country. There is
also an observed increase in
the number of tropical
cyclones that enter the
Philippines Area Responsibility
or (PAR) as tropical cyclone
formation shift toward the
western Pacific Ocean.
Southern Oscillation
The term that Sir Gilbert Walker
gave for the see-saw shift he
observed in atmospheric
pressure between the eastern
and western tropical Pacific the
accompanies both El Niño and
La Niña episodes in the ocean.
He observed that during periods
of reduced rainfall in the west
Pacific (El Niño), escalation of
pressure in the west was usually
accompanied by lowering of
pressure in the east Pacific.
 El Niño or La Niña Monitoring in
the Philippines

PAGASA defines
and detects El Niño
or La Niña
phenomena based
on SOI (Southern
Oscillation Index)
and SSTA ( Sea
Surface Temperature
Anomaly) indicators.
Southern Oscillation Index
Calculated using the
pressure differences
between Tahiti and
Darwin (T-D),
indicates whether an
El Niño or La Niña
events will take
place in the Pacific
Ocea.
 Southern Oscillation Index

El Niño is described by
negative Southern
Oscillation Idex (SOI) values.

La Niña is described by
positive Southern Oscillation
Idex (SOI) values.
PAGASA’s categories of ESO events
based on SST anomalies are the
following:
A.Weak El Niño/La Niña- deviation in sea
surface temperature by +0.5 to 1.0 for an
El Niño or -0.5 to -1.0 for a La Niña.
B. Moderate El Niño/La Niña- deviation in
sea surface temperature by +1.0 to +1.5
for an El Niño or - 1.0 to 1.5 for a La Niña.
C. Strong El Niño/La Niña- deviation in sea
surface temperature by more than +1.5 for
an El Niño or less than 1.5 for a La Niña.
Recurrence of El Niño and La Niña
El Niño and La Niña occur
alternatingly and usually recur every
3-5 years but can range from 2 to 7
years. El Niño and La Niña both
usually develop during March-June,
reach maximum intensity during
December-April, and Eventually
weaken during May-July.
 ENSO-neutral
An ENSO-neutral is period when neither
an El Niño nor a La Niña occurs. ENSO-
neutral periods usually occur during the
transition between El Niño and La Niña.
During an ENSO-neutral, sea surface
temperatures (tropical precipitation
amount and pattern, ad atmospheric wind
patterns in the equatorial Pacific Ocean are
close to the long-term average conditions.
 ENSO Event Preparation and
Adaptation Strategies
I. Monitoring
Monitoring is of utmost importance in
battling the negative effects of an
ENSO event. Timely detection of an
approaching extreme climatie event
such as El Niño and assessment of its
expected attendant weather conditions
and effects are essential for disaster
preparedness.
 ENSO Event Preparation and
Adaptation Strategies
II. Adaptation Strategies
During an El Niño, the far-reaching
problems encounteres mainly involve
ensuring water and food security and
battling El Niño’s impact on the
population’s health.
II. Adaptation Strategies
A.Water Management
Enforcing stringent water management
and conservation measures should be
implemented in coordination with the
NEEWMS of PAGASA, the National Water
Resources Board(NWRB), the National
Irrigation Administration(NIA), and the
National Power Corporation(NPC) in
anticipation of possible water shortages
during El Nino.
II. Adaptation Strategies
B. Agricultural Sector: Farming
Decline in production and shortage of
staple food crops can be a major cause
of famine, economic loss, and related
societal problems.
 II. Adaptation Strategies
C. Health Problems
Certain diseases become
widespread either during El Nino or La
Nina.
 C. Health Problems
El Niño
To avoid or cope with health
threats posed by El Niño, for
instance, diarrhea, cholera, etc.
the DOH advises to:
1. Constantly rehydrate.
2. Conserve household water supply
and protect it from contamination.
3. Wear light clothing
4. Avoid strenuous physical activity
5. Listen to updates on shellfish ban.
 C. Health Problems
La Niña
To avoid or cope with health threats
posed by La Niña, for instance,
diarrhea, cholera, etc. the DOH
advises to:
1. Boil water intended for drinking and even
chlorinate it.
2. Properly wash hands and clean parts of the
body.
3. Avoid striding in flooded areas.
4. Clean up or dispose of all possible breeding
II. Adaptation Strategies
D. Environmental Conservation and
Geohazards
Issues on marine biodiversity, land
degradation, water quality deterioration,
land subsidence, and shortages on
electricity generation by hydroelectric
powerplants can only be addressed by a
community effort in cooperation with
government agencies that have the
technical know-how and facilities.
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