La Niña Weather Patterns Expected
Understanding La Niña and Its Impact on Climate
Have you read our article on how El Niño were previously expected to dominate La Niña weather patterns? El Niño and La Niña have generally been relatively consistent, but in more recent years we have experienced an increasing amount of El Niño weather events. On January 9, 2024, scientists predicted La Niña to come for a short period of time. Currently, the west and north are experiencing hotter climates than average, so this could help stabilize weather patterns, despite current rapidly changing climate conditions. (Click here to check out our previous article!)
La Niña is a period of colder ocean temperatures in the East Pacific. This can affect the wind, rainfall and surface air pressure. According to USA Today, “It’s the opposite of the more well-known El Niño, which occurs when Pacific Ocean water is at least 0.9 degrees warmer than average for three months.” La Niña winters are expected to cause the west and north to have colder and wetter temperatures, while the south has drier conditions. The introduction of La Niña may cause different weather patterns as compared to the usual climate
There are actually various efforts made to stabilize the continuous cycle between El Niño and La Niña. The Maritime Organization created a rule to reduce sulfur pollution, which creates clouds that block the ocean from sunlight. Sunlight heats the lower atmosphere generating stronger winds, which is key to creating La Niña. Dust, water, and other aerosol particles could also create this effect, diminishing the chance of sunlight reaching the oceans and reflecting the rays back into the atmosphere instead. Scientists believe that reducing particles that block sunlight from reaching the oceans could increase La Niña weather patterns, potentially offering them a way to control the cycle.
Laws to reduce emissions that create clouds could also help increase the amount of sunlight reaching the ocean, thereby increasing La Niña weather patterns. If these efforts are created, the shift between La Niña and El Niño could be more consistent. If the problem about increasing El Niño was more widely spread, people could create efforts to reduce the amount of particles. If the relationship between El Niño and La Niña was more widely understood, perhaps more people would create efforts to keep this cycle consistent.