Goddard Glossary: El Niño Southern Oscillation

Narration: Katy Mersmann

Transcript:

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El Niño Southern Oscillation.

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Or ENSO.

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ENSO is a pattern of trade winds

and ocean temperatures

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in the eastern tropical Pacific

that impacts global climate.

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It has three phases:

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El Niño, La Niña, and neutral,

shifting between them every few years.

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Weaker trade winds during El Niño

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allow warm water to pile up

in the eastern tropical Pacific.

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This warming ocean temperature tends

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to drive warmer temperatures globally

and wetter conditions in the southern U.S.

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La Niña acts like El Niño’s reverse.

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Stronger trade winds

keep the eastern tropical Pacific cool,

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driving cooler global temperatures

and a drier southern U.S..

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We've been experiencing a rare triple dip

or three years of La Niña, impacting

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drought in the American Southwest

and producing slightly

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cooler global temperatures

than we might expect otherwise.

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ENSO’s minor effects on global temperature

are one reason the past few years

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have been slightly cooler than 2020

or 2016 -- El Niño years.

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However, temperature shifts

ENSO brings aren't nearly as significant

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as the global pattern of warming

caused by humans.

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In fact, many current La Niña -- cooler

-- years are warmer than many previous El Niño

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-- warmer -- years.

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With or without ENSO, warming on

Earth is here and we are causing it.