What is the La Nina phenomenon?

Al Jazeera English

9 Sept 201101:25

Summary

TLDRLa Niña, characterized by the cooling of the Pacific Ocean's surface, has returned after a brief respite, promising further global weather disruptions. This phenomenon, occurring every few years, caused severe floods in Australia and Colombia, and contributed to a harsh winter in northern Asia. The Horn of Africa is at risk, with 12 million people facing starvation as La Niña's recurrence threatens the upcoming rains, crucial for alleviating the region's drought.

Takeaways

🌊 'La Niña' is a weather phenomenon characterized by the cooling of surface waters in the Pacific Ocean, which appears in blue and purple on NASA images.
❄️ La Niña has been responsible for destructive weather patterns globally over the past 18 months, including floods and extreme cold.
🌧️ The previous La Niña episode led to devastating floods in Australia and Colombia, with Colombia's President calling it the country's worst natural disaster.
❄️ It also contributed to a brutal winter in northern Asia, including a snowstorm that blanketed parts of South Korea with 80 centimeters of snow.
🌦️ La Niña was one of the factors causing failed rains across the Horn of Africa, exacerbating the region's drought conditions.
🌀 The return of La Niña conditions suggests a continuation of similar weather disruptions, including the potential for further rainfall failure in the Horn of Africa.
🌾 The next expected rains in the Horn of Africa were due in November, but with La Niña's return, there's a risk these rains will also fail.
🥶 The failure of November rains could be particularly devastating, as it could increase the number of people at risk of starvation in the region.
📈 Currently, 12 million people in the Horn of Africa are in danger of starvation, and this number is expected to rise if the rains do not come as anticipated.

Q & A

What is La Niña?
-La Niña is the cooling of the surface water of the Pacific Ocean, which is a naturally occurring phenomenon that happens every few years.
How does La Niña affect global weather patterns?
-La Niña can cause significant disruptions to global weather patterns, leading to extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, and severe winters.
What were some of the devastating effects of the previous La Niña episode mentioned in the script?
-The previous La Niña episode resulted in devastating floods in Australia, flooding in Colombia, a brutal winter in northern Asia, and failed rains across the Horn of Africa.
How did the La Niña event impact Colombia?
-The La Niña event caused severe flooding in Colombia, which President Juan Manuel Santos described as the country's worst natural disaster.
What was the impact of La Niña on South Korea?
-La Niña contributed to a severe winter in South Korea, with one storm depositing 80 centimeters of snow.
What are the expected consequences of La Niña's return for the Horn of Africa?
-With the return of La Niña, the Horn of Africa may experience failed rains, which could lead to increased risk of starvation for the region's population.
How many people are at risk of starvation in the Horn of Africa due to La Niña?
-Currently, 12 million people are in danger of starvation in the Horn of Africa due to the potential failure of rains associated with La Niña.
What is the significance of the November rains for the Horn of Africa?
-The November rains are crucial for the Horn of Africa, as their failure due to La Niña could exacerbate the risk of starvation for the region's inhabitants.
What color coding is used in the NASA image to represent La Niña's cooling effect on the Pacific Ocean?
-In the NASA image, the cooling effect of La Niña on the Pacific Ocean is shown in blue and purple.
How significant is the temperature drop associated with La Niña?
-The temperature drop associated with La Niña is relatively small, just a couple of degrees, but it has a significant impact on global weather.
What does the script suggest about the future weather patterns if La Niña conditions continue?
-If La Niña conditions persist, we can expect a continuation of extreme weather patterns similar to those experienced during the previous episodes.

Outlines

00:00

🌊 The Return of La Niña and Its Global Impact

La Niña has returned, bringing with it the potential for more destructive weather after a brief lull in June. This weather phenomenon is characterized by the cooling of surface waters in the Pacific Ocean, which triggers significant global disruptions despite the small temperature change of just a few degrees. In the past, La Niña has caused devastating floods in Australia and Colombia, with the Colombian president labeling it the worst natural disaster in the country’s history. It also delivered a brutal winter to northern Asia, including a severe snowstorm in South Korea.

💧 Rising Concerns for the Horn of Africa

The return of La Niña raises fears of another failed rainy season in the Horn of Africa. The region has already been suffering, with 12 million people at risk of starvation. The expected rains in November may fail, compounding the devastation. If significant rain does not arrive, the number of people affected by starvation and drought will likely increase, as La Niña brings dry conditions to this vulnerable area.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡La Nina

La Nina is a natural climate phenomenon that involves the cooling of surface waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. It leads to significant changes in global weather patterns, causing severe weather events like floods and droughts. In the script, La Nina is described as being responsible for devastating floods in Australia and Colombia, as well as contributing to severe winter conditions in Asia and droughts in the Horn of Africa.

💡Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's oceanic divisions and plays a central role in climate systems like La Nina. The script refers to the cooling of the surface water in the Pacific, which triggers La Nina conditions. These shifts in ocean temperatures have widespread effects on weather across different continents.

💡NASA

NASA is the U.S. government agency responsible for space exploration, science, and research related to Earth and space. In the video, NASA is mentioned as the source of the imagery showing the surface water cooling of the Pacific Ocean, highlighting the organization's role in monitoring and studying global climate phenomena like La Nina.

💡floods

Floods are large-scale, destructive water events that occur when an area receives excessive rainfall or when water levels rise due to other factors like storm surges. In the script, floods caused by La Nina are highlighted in regions like Australia and Colombia, where these events resulted in significant damage and were labeled as some of the worst natural disasters in recent history.

💡Horn of Africa

The Horn of Africa is a region in East Africa that includes countries like Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. The script emphasizes that this area has been severely affected by La Nina, leading to a failure of rains, which exacerbates drought conditions and threatens millions with starvation.

💡Juan Manuel Santos

Juan Manuel Santos is the former president of Colombia, mentioned in the script because he declared the floods caused by La Nina as the worst natural disaster in the country's history. His statement underscores the devastating impact of La Nina on nations like Colombia.

💡disaster

A disaster refers to a catastrophic event, often natural, that causes widespread damage and suffering. In the context of the video, La Nina is associated with disasters such as floods, droughts, and extreme weather, severely impacting different parts of the world and resulting in loss of life and livelihoods.

💡Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, which is referenced in the video due to the extreme winter conditions caused by La Nina. Parts of northern Asia, particularly South Korea, experienced severe snowstorms due to the colder climate patterns induced by La Nina.

💡starvation

Starvation refers to a severe lack of food leading to extreme hunger and potentially death. The script mentions the looming danger of starvation in the Horn of Africa, where 12 million people are at risk due to droughts caused by the La Nina phenomenon. This shows the human toll of climate disruptions.

💡rain failure

Rain failure refers to a situation where expected seasonal rains do not occur, leading to drought. In the script, it is mentioned that La Nina caused rains to fail in the Horn of Africa, resulting in drought conditions that threaten agricultural production and exacerbate food shortages, with potentially devastating consequences for millions of people.

Highlights

Lenina has returned, responsible for some of the most destructive weather over the last 18 months.

In June, it seemed that the latest episode of Lenina was over, but this was only a small lull.

The waters of the Pacific have shifted once more, signaling the return of Lenina.

Lenina refers to the cooling of surface water in the Pacific Ocean, as shown in blue and purple on NASA images.

The temperature drop during Lenina is small, just a couple of degrees, but it causes significant global weather disruptions.

The previous Lenina led to devastating floods in Australia in January.

Colombia also experienced severe flooding during the last Lenina, which was called the country's worst natural disaster by President Juan Manuel Santos.

Lenina was responsible for a brutal winter in northern Asia, including 80 cm of snow in parts of South Korea.

Lenina contributed to the failure of rains across the Horn of Africa, worsening drought conditions.

Now that Lenina conditions have returned, similar impacts are expected, especially for the Horn of Africa.

The expected rains in the Horn of Africa in November may fail again due to the return of Lenina.

So far, 12 million people in the Horn of Africa are at risk of starvation.

If November does not bring sufficient rainfall, the number of people in danger of starvation will increase.

Lenina's impact is a natural phenomenon that happens every few years, but its effects on global weather patterns can be severe.

The cooling of Pacific waters, though slight, can trigger devastating natural disasters across different regions.