http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/el_nino_and_la_nina/ Learn how El Nino and La Nina can contribute to severe weather leading to heavy storms in some regions and droughts in others. Read about the causes and effects of El Nino and La Nina. en-us Mon, 12 May 2008 03:05:01 EDT Mon, 12 May 2008 03:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/el_nino_and_la_nina/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430152030.htm Climate scientists using computer models to simulate the 1930s Dust Bowl on the US Great Plains have found that dust raised by farmers probably amplified and spread a natural drop in rainfall, turning an ordinary drying cycle into an agricultural collapse. The researcher say the study raises concern that current pressures on farmland from population growth and climate change could worsen current food crises by leading to similar events in other regions. Sun, 04 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430152030.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409133718.htm The Colorado State University forecast team upgraded its early season forecast saying the U.S. Atlantic basin will likely experience a well above-average hurricane season. The team's forecast now anticipates 15 named storms forming in the Atlantic basin between June 1 and Nov. 30. Eight of the storms are predicted to become hurricanes, and of those eight, four are expected to develop into intense or major hurricanes (Saffir/Simpson category 3-4-5) with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater. Long-term averages are 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 intense hurricanes per year. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409133718.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326081114.htm A six-year study of Amazonian small farmers and their responses to climate change shows the farmers are vulnerable to natural catastrophes and risky land use practices. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326081114.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080128113104.htm The next time you have to raise your umbrella against torrents of cold winter rain, you may have a remote weather phenomenon to thank that many may know by name as El Nino, but may not well understand. Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080128113104.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071212202020.htm A before-and-after study led by Yale biologists, of the effects of 1997 El Niño on the genetic diversity of marine iguanas on the Galápagos Islands, emphasizes the importance of studying populations over time and the need to determine which environmental and biological factors make specific populations more vulnerable than others. Tue, 18 Dec 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071212202020.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126090229.htm Counting tropical storms that occurred before the advent of aircraft and satellites relies on ships logs and hurricane landfalls, making many believe that the numbers of historic tropical storms in the Atlantic are seriously undercounted. However, a statistical model based on the climate factors that influence Atlantic tropical storm activity shows that the estimates currently used are only slightly below modeled numbers and indicate that the numbers of tropical storms in the recent past are increasing, according to researchers. Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126090229.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070801175711.htm In the mid-1970s, a climate shift cooled sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean and warmed the coast of western North America, bringing long-range changes to the northern hemisphere. After this climate shift waned, an era of frequent El Ninos and rising global temperatures began. Thu, 02 Aug 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070801175711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070627114412.htm A University of Rhode Island oceanographer who helped develop an ocean-based hurricane forecast model that has been the most accurate hurricane prediction tool at the National Hurricane Center is completing work on an even better model that for the first time uses satellite technology to help predict a storm's path, intensity and surge. Fri, 29 Jun 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070627114412.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070410135159.htm Small islands are very much in the front-line of climate change with its impacts on people, economies, tourism income and ecosystems likely to be severe according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Nevertheless there is tremendous scope for accelerating adaptive measures that can reduce that vulnerability and assist small island countries and communities to cope. Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070410135159.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070403172305.htm The U.S. Atlantic basin will likely experience a very active hurricane season, the Colorado State University forecast team announced today, increasing its earlier prediction for the 2007 hurricane season. The team's forecast now anticipates 17 named storms forming in the Atlantic basin between June 1 and Nov. 30. Nine of the 17 storms are predicted to become hurricanes, and of those nine, five are expected to develop into intense or major hurricanes (Saffir/Simpson category 3-4-5) with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater. Tue, 03 Apr 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070403172305.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070330221144.htm Average temperatures in California rose almost one degree Celsius (nearly two degrees Fahrenheit) during the second half of the 20th century, with urban areas blazing the way to warmer conditions, according to a new study by scientists at NASA and California State University, Los Angeles. Sat, 31 Mar 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070330221144.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070301102531.htm Scientists using NASA satellite and rainfall data have linked the recent El Nino to the greatest rise in wildfire activity in Indonesia since the record-breaking 1997-98 El Nino. Fri, 02 Mar 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070301102531.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070218194404.htm New research aimed at understanding the link between carbon dioxide emissions and climate change in boreal systems has found clear links between both spring and fall temperature changes and carbon uptake/loss. Dr. Kevin Robert Gurney, assistant professor in the Earth & Atmospheric Science/Agronomy at Purdue University and associate director of the Purdue Climate Change Research Center, presented these results at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in San Francisco, Calif., on December 17. Tue, 27 Feb 2007 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070218194404.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070213142902.htm Climatologists at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City have found that 2006 was the fifth warmest year in the past century. Other groups that study climate change also rank these years as among the warmest, though the exact rankings vary depending upon details of the analyses. Results differ especially in regions of sparse measurements, where scientists use alternative methods of estimating temperature change. Wed, 14 Feb 2007 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070213142902.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061201105724.htm In October of 2003, multiple wildfires raged throughout Southern California. Now, researchers at the University of Southern California report that residents without asthma in wildfire-endangered regions suffered as much as those with asthma. Mon, 04 Dec 2006 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061201105724.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061012184656.htm Sea surface temperatures give scientists information about ocean currents, climate, climate change and how a hurricane may evolve. Now, NASA has a Web page that provides frequent updates on changing ocean temperatures. Tue, 17 Oct 2006 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061012184656.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060705184842.htm Reef fish share genetic connections across what Darwin termed an "impassable barrier," 5000km of deep ocean separating the eastern and central Pacific, according to a report by Smithsonian scientists in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Thu, 06 Jul 2006 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060705184842.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/06/060622173129.htm Global warming accounted for around half of the extra hurricane-fueling warmth in the waters of the tropical North Atlantic in 2005, while natural cycles were only a minor factor, according to a study from the National Center for Atmospheric Research appearing in the June 27 issue of Geophysical Research Letters. Thu, 22 Jun 2006 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/06/060622173129.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060530175230.htm Human induced climate change, rather than naturally occurring ocean cycles, may be responsible for the recent increases in frequency and strength of North Atlantic hurricanes, according to Penn State and Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers. "Anthropogenic factors are likely responsible for long-term trends in tropical Atlantic warmth and tropical cyclone activity," the researchers report in an upcoming issue of the American Geophysical Society's Eos. Tue, 30 May 2006 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060530175230.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060505120655.htm NASA oceanographers agree that the recent La Nina in the eastern Pacific Ocean is not expected to have an effect on the Atlantic hurricane season this year. That is good news, because normally a La Niña tends to increase Atlantic hurricane activity and decrease Pacific Ocean hurricanes. Fri, 05 May 2006 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060505120655.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060130154533.htm The year 2005 may have been the warmest year in a century, according to NASA scientists studying temperature data from around the world. Mon, 30 Jan 2006 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060130154533.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060110230828.htm New research shows that global climate processes are affecting southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) in the South Atlantic. A thirty-year study by an international team of scientists found a strong relationship between breeding success of whales in the South Atlantic and El Nino in the western Pacific. The results are published this week in the on-line journal Biology Letters. Tue, 10 Jan 2006 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060110230828.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060108225237.htm The joint NASA/Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales Topex/Poseidon oceanography satellite ceased operations after nearly 62,000 orbits of Earth. The spacecraft lost its ability to maneuver, bringing to a close a successful 13-year mission. Mon, 09 Jan 2006 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060108225237.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060106131757.htm It may be no surprise that marine reserves protect the fish that live in them, but now scientists from the University of Exeter have shown for the first time that they could also help improve the health of coral reefs. In a paper in the prestigious journal Science, Dr Peter Mumby and colleagues looked at how a marine park in the Bahamas was affected by the return of the reef's top predator, the Nassau Grouper. Sun, 08 Jan 2006 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060106131757.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051005075206.htm Australian researchers have found Envisat's MERIS sensor can detect coral bleaching down to ten metres deep. This means Envisat could potentially monitor impacted coral reefs worldwide on a twice-weekly basis. Coral bleaching happens when symbiotic algae living in symbiosis with living coral polyps (and providing them their distinctive colours) are expelled. The whitening coral may die with subsequent impacts on the reef ecosystem, and thus fisheries, regional tourism and coastal protection. Wed, 05 Oct 2005 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051005075206.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/08/050809064251.htm Southern pines appear to grow and conserve water somewhat better in the carbon-dioxide-enriched atmosphere expected by mid-century, a Duke University study has found. However, any growth spurts appear to diminish over time, due at least in part to the kind of hot and dry weather that likely may become more common in the future. Thus, the researchers concluded, enhanced growth of pines may not constitute a long-term sink for human-produced carbon dioxide which might ameliorate global warming. Fri, 26 Aug 2005 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/08/050809064251.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/08/050819093711.htm Researchers from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and several other government and academic institutions have created four new supercomputer simulations that for the first time combine their mathematical computer models of the atmosphere, ocean, land surface and sea ice. Mon, 22 Aug 2005 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/08/050819093711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050524000146.htm NASA successfully launched a new environmental satellite today for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It will improve weather forecasting and monitor environmental events around the world. Tue, 24 May 2005 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050524000146.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050505123319.htm NASA is set to launch the new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES), another critical link in the development of a global Earth-observation program. The spacecraft, NOAA-N, will lift off at 6:22 a.m. EDT, May 11, 2005, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Thu, 05 May 2005 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050505123319.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/04/050413091059.htm Desert blooms -- plants that flourish in arid areas after rains -- might reduce water accumulation in soil should the climate shift toward wetter conditions, according to a study conducted by a team led by University of Texas at Austin hydrogeologists. Wed, 13 Apr 2005 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/04/050413091059.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050223162455.htm Global warming conversations have shifted from whether climate is changing to how we will deal with the inevitable consequences. And the price you pay will depend on where you live and how well you prepare, suggests one of the most detailed studies to date on global warming and its likely effect on human activity. Sat, 05 Mar 2005 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050223162455.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050223161057.htm Although predicting el Nino events months before they begin has become a major success story in climate prediction, a Duke University oceanographer who did early research in the field believes more could be done with the computer and satellite technology underlying these advances. Fri, 25 Feb 2005 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050223161057.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050212195102.htm Last year was the fourth warmest year on average for our planet since the late 1800s, according to NASA scientists. To determine if the Earth is warming or cooling, scientists look at average temperatures. To get an "average" temperature, scientists take the warmest and the coolest temperatures in a day, and calculate the temperature that is exactly in the middle of those high and low values. Mon, 14 Feb 2005 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050212195102.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050110110448.htm Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have found that significant changes in the shape of the Earth in the past 28 years may be linked to climate events such as the El Niño weather pattern. Mon, 10 Jan 2005 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050110110448.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050104115418.htm With the end of 2004, it will rank among the top 10 wettest years on record for the contiguous United States and is expected to be warmer than average, according to scientists at the NOAA Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. Tue, 04 Jan 2005 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050104115418.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041219212737.htm A new NASA Internet tool called "Giovanni" allows high school and college students and researchers to access and analyze satellite-derived ocean color data. Ocean color data provides students with information about ocean biology by looking at phytoplankton through changes in the color of the ocean surface. Mon, 03 Jan 2005 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041219212737.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041203095709.htm Scientists studied the winds and rains in the eastern Indian Ocean for hints at developing El Ninos. They used that information to create an "Index" or gauge that accurately predicted the El Nino of 2002-2003. Mon, 06 Dec 2004 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041203095709.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041110162956.htm NASA scientists recently found the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the main driver of the change in rain patterns all around the world. Fri, 12 Nov 2004 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041110162956.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040810091946.htm For the second time in three years, a hypoxic "dead zone" has formed off the central Oregon Coast. It's killing fish, crabs and other marine life and leading researchers to believe that a fundamental change may be taking place in ocean conditions in the northern Pacific Ocean. Tue, 10 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040810091946.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040805092034.htm Recent sea-level height data from the U.S./France Jason altimetric satellite during a 10-day cycle ending July 27, 2004, show that weaker than normal trade winds in the western and central equatorial Pacific during June have triggered an eastward moving, warm Kelvin wave. Fri, 06 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040805092034.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/07/040723090704.htm Scripps Institution's Henry Ruhl and Ken Smith show in the new issue of the journal Science that changes in climate at the surface of the ocean may be impacting communities of larger animals more than 13,400 feet below the ocean surface. Fri, 23 Jul 2004 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/07/040723090704.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040520062923.htm Earth's climate system is more sensitive to perturbations now than it was in the distant past, according to a study published this week in the journal Nature. The findings suggest a previously unrecognized role for tropical and subtropical regions in controlling the sensitivity of the climate to change. Thu, 20 May 2004 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040520062923.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/04/040420014436.htm Forty-seven countries and the European Commission are set to convene in Tokyo for a groundbreaking Earth Observation Summit, a milestone effort to collaborate globally on making people and economies healthier and safer around the globe. Tue, 20 Apr 2004 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/04/040420014436.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/04/040415010028.htm Dake Chen at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory recently used more than a century of climate data to successfully test an improved model of ENSO, the El-Niño/Southern Oscillation that scientists believe is behind climate change in many parts of the world. Thu, 15 Apr 2004 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/04/040415010028.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040311073439.htm Using satellite and other data, scientists have discovered that sea surface temperatures and sea level pressure in the North Pacific have undergone unusual changes over the last five years. Thu, 11 Mar 2004 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040311073439.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040310080316.htm Large-scale, long-lasting droughts in the United States – such as the present one in the West -- tend to be linked to warmer than normal sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean, and not just cooling in the tropical Pacific, according to a USGS study. Wed, 10 Mar 2004 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040310080316.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/01/040127081124.htm A statistical model from Ohio State University is forecasting sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean in a new way. Tue, 27 Jan 2004 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/01/040127081124.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/01/040106072933.htm James Randerson, assistant professor of Earth system science at UC Irvine, and colleagues report that by combining satellite data and measurements of atmospheric gases, they have quantified for the first time the amount of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide and methane, emitted by these fires. Tue, 06 Jan 2004 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/01/040106072933.htm