A clear description of El Nino Southern Oscillation and of its
consequence on climate in Australia and South America is available
at El Nino
or
ENSO theme pages
of the NOAA climate diagnosis center.
( historical comparison
of previous elninos with soi
indices)
ENSO
Index: Comparison of the current 1997-1998 event with other events
This image shows cold water upwelling near the coast of Peru (purple)
and joining the South Equatorial Current, which flows westward across
the Pacific Ocean. This MODIS SST image from January 1-8, 2001
shows the ocean in normal conditions, but during an El Nino the waters
off Peru are much warmer. Credit: NASA
July 16, 1998: Satellite image shows
pacific stabilizing
19 June 2000: Strong, Long-lasting
La Niña just fading away
June 2000, is
1998-2000 La Niña over?
Do La Niña-El Niño cycles lie on top of a larger scale temperature
distribution?
TOPEX-Poseidon reveals indices of a larger decadal climate pattern, and a
Wavelet
Analysis showing a hidden 16 years periodicity later attributed to the so-called
Pacific Decadal Oscillation
(PDO).
For more detail, check the experimental
Daily SST Anomaly Charts.