Global warming (potentially) doubles risk of extreme La Niña event, research shows

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/featurednews/title_431981_en.html

[font face=Serif][font size=5]Global warming doubles risk of extreme La Niña event, research shows[/font]

[font size=4]The risk of extreme La Niña events in the Pacific Ocean could double due to global warming, new research has shown.[/font]

[font size=3]The projected twofold increase in the frequency of this potentially devastating weather phenomenon across the globe could lead to increased droughts in south-western United States, floods in the western Pacific regions and Atlantic hurricanes.

Furthermore, with around 70 per cent of these increased La Niña events projected to follow immediately after an extreme El Niño event, parts of the world could experience weather patterns that switch between extremes of wet and dry.

…

El Niño and La Niña events are opposite phases of the natural climate phenomenon, the El Niño/Southern Oscillation. Extreme La Niña events occur when cold sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean contrast with the warming land areas of Maritime Southeast Asia in the west and create a strong temperature gradient.

The new research suggests that increased land warming, coupled with an increase in frequency of extreme El Niño events, will mean extreme La Niña could occur every 13 years, rather than the 23 years previously seen.

…[/font][/font]

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2492

[pscot]

1. It's been almost a decade since the last El Niño

which is unusual.

[OnlinePoker]

2. Actually 5 years, not a decade.

From June-Aug 09 to Mar-May 10. There have been two weak La Nina since then.

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/lanina/enso_evolution-status-fcsts-web.pdf

[pscot]

3. You're right

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ensostuff/ensoyears.shtml