El Nino and La Nina

La Niña
Definitions:
La Niña - Unusually cold surface water
temperatures in the Pacific ocean caused by
strong easterly trade winds.
El Niño and La Niña
simplified…

 La Nina is the abnormal

cooling of Earth’s ocean
surface in the Pacific.
Did You Know…

 La Nina means “Little Girl”

 They occur half as often as El

Nino’s
Time Pattern

 La Nina usually lasts nine to

twelve months.

 The longest ever recorded

lasted three years.
El Nino La Nina. Oracle Think Quest. Retrieved May 14th, 2012. http://library.thinkquest.org/5818/elnino.html
Causes:

 La Nina is caused when the

temperatures drop in the
pacific, also being blown east.

 This builds up at the coasts

and will cause a La Nina.
 What causes a La Niña?
Strong trade
winds blow
surface water
towards east,
creating colder
surface
temperatures off
South American
coast. We get
strong
upwelling.
 What causes the patterns?
 Normal
La Nina’s Damage Done
 Drier and Milder
conditions in the south.
 Cause severe droughts in
the southeast.
 Cause unusual cold
temperature changes
along the Pacific coast.
 Causes wetter conditions
for the Pacific states.
 Northeast will have cold
periods
 Strange phenomenon
occur during an El Niño and
La Niña like...
Increased Tropical Storms (La Niña)
Hurricane Floyd was HUGE!
(1999 - La Niña)
 Causing devastating floods in
Australia (2010-2011 La Niña)