Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - The 24 Solar Terms - What's the difference between El Nino and La Nina?

What's the difference between El Nino and La Nina?

El Nino and La Nina are climatic phenomena that the interaction between the earth's atmosphere and the ocean leads to abnormal SST in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. They are relative phenomena with different characteristics and influences.

1. The difference is as follows: 1. Temperature change:

When El Nino occurs, the seawater temperature in the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean is higher than that in normal years, even higher than that in the western waters, leading to temperature heating. La Nina phenomenon is that the seawater temperature in the equatorial eastern Pacific is lower than normal years.

2. Climate impact:

The impact of El Nino is mainly manifested in global climate anomalies. It may lead to extreme weather events such as drought, flood and storm increase, and affect rainfall distribution, wind direction and wind speed. La Nina is usually the opposite of El Nino, which may lead to extreme weather events such as drought and storm reduction.

3. Length of time:

El Nino and La Nina have different durations. El Nino usually lasts from a few months to more than a year, while La Nina can last longer, up to a year or two.

4. Frequency:

El Nino and La Nina have different frequencies. El Nino is usually more common than La Nina, and occurs irregularly in a cycle of 2-7 years. La Nina phenomenon is relatively rare.

2. El Nino phenomenon refers to an abnormal phenomenon of interaction between ocean and atmosphere in equatorial Pacific. The main manifestation of El Nino phenomenon is the abnormal rise of seawater temperature in the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean, which is often contrary to the normal ocean circulation system.

Impact: 1. Climate change:

El Nino has a wide and far-reaching impact on the global climate. Due to the rising sea surface temperature in the equatorial Pacific, El Ni? o often leads to abnormal global rainfall distribution. Areas that lead to increased rainfall may suffer floods, storms, landslides and other disasters, while arid areas may further aggravate the drought.

2. Atmospheric circulation:

El Nino will change the global atmospheric circulation pattern. Usually, the northeast wind in the eastern tropical Pacific will bring heat to the Indian Ocean and promote the formation of El Ni? o perennial low-pressure areas. However, in the El Ni? o phenomenon, the transmission system in Northeast China is weakened or reversed, which leads to the transfer of the key El Ni? o perennial low-pressure area, thus affecting the global climate.

3. Biodiversity:

El Nino will affect the marine ecosystem. The change of ocean temperature will affect plankton and coral reefs, which may lead to coral bleaching, reduction of fishery resources and loss of other biodiversity.

4. Socio-economic impact:

El Nino phenomenon has a great impact on agriculture, fisheries, water resources management and energy supply. Extreme weather events such as drought and flood may lead to crop yield reduction, loss of fishery resources and water shortage, which will have important social and economic impacts on farmers, fishermen and related industries.

3. La Nina phenomenon refers to an abnormal phenomenon of the interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, corresponding to El Ni? o phenomenon. La Nina phenomenon is mainly manifested in the abnormally low seawater temperature in the equatorial eastern Pacific.

Impact: 1. Climate change:

La Nina phenomenon has a wide impact on the global climate, which usually leads to changes in precipitation, temperature and wind patterns in different parts of the world. For example, La Nina usually causes drought in the equatorial eastern Pacific, while causing floods and extreme rainfall events in other areas.

2. Atmospheric circulation:

La Nina phenomenon affects the global atmospheric circulation model. The decrease of sea surface temperature in the equatorial eastern Pacific may strengthen the northeast transmission system and further enhance the high pressure conditions in the equatorial region, thus affecting the atmospheric circulation. This may lead to changes in wind patterns and pressure distribution, and inject new energy into the global climate system.

3. Biodiversity:

La Nina phenomenon has an important impact on marine ecosystem. The drop of seawater temperature may affect plankton, coral reefs and other ecological communities, lead to coral bleaching events, species migration and changes in the distribution of fishery resources, and have a certain impact on biodiversity.

4. Agriculture and fisheries:

La Nina usually affects agriculture and fisheries. In La Nina year, some areas may suffer from drought, crop reduction and water shortage. In fishery, La Nina may lead to the change and decrease of fishery resources, which will bring economic pressure to fishermen and related industries.

Summary: El Nino and La Nina are climatic phenomena caused by SST anomalies in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, which are relative phenomena. El Nino raises SST, which brings a series of global climate anomalies, while La Nina lowers SST, which may lead to the opposite climate anomalies. Their existence and changes have an important impact on the global climate and human life.