La Nina Earth
Explanation:
La Niña is a temporary climate change
caused by unusually cold water in the central
Pacific Ocean.
Cold water topping an unusually
low sea level is shown as purple in the
above false-color picture taken by the orbiting
TOPEX/Poseidon satellite in mid-January.
Such cold water tends to deflect winds around it,
changing the course of
weather systems locally
and the nature of weather patterns globally.
This year's
La Niña appears to have weakened
over the past few months,
indicating a slow return to more normal seasonal weather.
The full effects of the
preceding El Niño and the present
La Niña
are still under study.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
