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THE COLUMBIA BASIN BULLETIN:<br>
Weekly Fish and Wildlife News
<a href="http://www.cbbulletin.com/" eudora="autourl">
www.cbbulletin.com<br>
</a>June 10, 2011 Issue No. 578<br><br>
<br>
<b>* <font size=4>NOAA Says May Showed Transition From La Nina To El
Nino/Southern Oscillation Neutral<br><br>
</b></font>NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center this week said a transition
from La Niña to El Nino/Southern Oscillation-Neutral conditions occurred
during May 2011 as indicated by generally small sea surface temperature
anomalies across the equatorial Pacific Ocean.<br><br>
The subsurface oceanic heat content remained elevated, but relatively
constant during the month. Consistent with other transitions to
ENSO-neutral conditions, the atmospheric circulation anomalies continued
to show some features consistent with La Niña, albeit at weaker strength.
<br><br>
Current observed trends, along with forecasts from a majority of the ENSO
models, indicate ENSO-neutral will continue through the Northern
Hemisphere summer 2011. Thereafter, most models and all multi-model
forecasts predict ENSO-neutral to continue through the remainder of 2011.
However, the status of ENSO beyond the Northern Hemisphere summer remains
more uncertain due to lower model forecast skill at longer lead times,
particularly during this time of year.<br><br>
La Niña is defined as cooler than normal sea-surface temperatures in the
central and eastern tropical Pacific ocean that impact global weather
patterns. La Niña conditions recur every few years and can persist for as
long as two years. <br><br>
El Niño and La Niña are extreme phases of a naturally occurring climate
cycle referred to as El Niño/Southern Oscillation. Both terms refer to
large-scale changes in sea-surface temperature across the eastern
tropical Pacific. Usually, sea-surface readings off South America's west
coast range from the 60s to 70s F, while they exceed 80 degrees F in the
"warm pool" located in the central and western Pacific. This
warm pool expands to cover the tropics during El Niño, but during La
Niña, the easterly trade winds strengthen and cold upwelling along the
equator and the West coast of South America intensifies. Sea-surface
temperatures along the equator can fall as much as 7 degrees F below
normal. <br><br>
El Niño and La Niña result from interaction between the surface of the
ocean and the atmosphere in the tropical Pacific. Changes in the ocean
impact the atmosphere and climate patterns around the globe. In turn,
changes in the atmosphere impact the ocean temperatures and currents. The
system oscillates between warm (El Niño) to neutral (or cold La Niña)
conditions with an on average every 3-4 years.<br><br>
Typically, a La Niña is preceded by a buildup of cooler-than-normal
subsurface waters in the tropical Pacific. Eastward-moving atmospheric
and oceanic waves help bring the cold water to the surface through a
complex series of events still being studied. In time, the easterly trade
winds strengthen, cold upwelling off Peru and Ecuador intensifies, and
sea-surface temperatures drop below normal. During the 1988- 89 La Niña,
SSTs fell to as much as 4 degrees C (7 degrees F) below normal. Both La
Niña and El Niño tend to peak during the Northern Hemisphere winter.
<br><br>
La Niña often features drier than normal conditions in the Southwest in
late summer through the subsequent winter. Drier than normal conditions
also typically occur in the Central Plains in the fall and in the
Southeast in the winter. In contrast, the Pacific Northwest is more
likely to be wetter than normal in the late fall and early winter with
the presence of a well-established La Niña. Additionally, on average La
Niña winters are warmer than normal in the Southeast and colder than
normal in the Northwest. <br><br>
El Niño and La Niña occur on average every 3 to 5 years. However, in the
historical record the interval between events has varied from 2 to 7
years. According to the National Centers for Environmental Prediction,
this century's previous La Niñas began in 1903, 1906, 1909, 1916, 1924,
1928, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1964, 1970, 1973, 1975, 1988, and 1995. These
events typically continued into the following spring. Since 1975, La
Niñas have been only half as frequent as El Niños<br><br>
La Niña conditions typically last approximately 9-12 months. Some
episodes may persist for as long as two years. <br><br>
Contrasting El Niño and La Niña winters, the jet stream over the United
States is considerably different. During El Niño the jet stream is
oriented from west to east over the northern Gulf of Mexico and northern
Florida. Thus this region is most susceptible to severe weather. During
La Niña the jet stream extends from the central Rockies east-
northeastward to the eastern Great Lakes. Thus severe weather is likely
to be further north and west during La Niña than El Niño.<br><br>
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