El Nino Earth
Explanation:
El Niño is a temporary global climate change resulting from
unusually warm water in the central Pacific Ocean.
El Niño
can cause unusual or severe weather for some locations over the next few months.
Warm water is shown in white in the
above false-color picture taken by the orbiting
TOPEX/Poseidon satellite
in late October.
The
Pacific Ocean
is color coded by sea surface height relative to normal ocean levels.
The large white area represents a mass of warm water
30 times greater than all the
Great Lakes, flowing toward the
Americas. Although El Niños occur every decade or so,
this year's is the first ever predicted. The cause and full effects of
El Niños
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.
