El Nino: Pumping Up Or Fizzling Out?

EARTH OBSERVATION

Recent sea-level height data from the U.S./France Jason altimetric satellite during a 10-day cycle ending November 15, 2004, show that the central equatorial Pacific continues to exhibit an area of higher-than-normal sea surface heights (indicating warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures) between 180 degrees West and 130 degrees West. Image Credit: NASA/JPL Ocean Surface Topography Team.

Pasadena CA (SPX) Nov 18, 2004
Recent sea-level height data from the U.S./France Jason altimetric satellite during a 10-day cycle ending November 15, 2004, show that the central equatorial Pacific continues to exhibit an area of higher-than-normal sea surface heights (indicating warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures) between 180 degrees West and 130 degrees West.

This feature, should it continue and spread eastward through November and December, could elevate the present weak El Nino episode to a moderate or stronger event.

Previous warmings over the past several months, however, have dissipated. Scientists will continue to monitor the Pacific closely for further signs of El Nio intensity and development.

The image shows a red area in the central equatorial Pacific that is about 10 centimeters (4 inches) above normal.

These regions contrast with the Gulf of Alaska, where lower-than-normal sea levels (blue areas) continue that are between 5 and 13 centimeters (2 and 5 inches) below normal. Along the equator, the red sea surface heights equate to sea surface temperature departures greater than one degree Celsius (two degrees Fahrenheit).

These images show sea surface height anomalies with the seasonal cycle (the effects of summer, fall, winter, and spring) removed. The differences between what we see and what is normal for different times and regions are called anomalies, or residuals.

When oceanographers and climatologists view these "anomalies" they can identify unusual patterns and can tell us how heat is being stored in the ocean to influence future planetary climate events. Each image is a 10-day average of data, ending on the date indicated.

WATERWORLD

El Nino Holds The Reins On Global Rains

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Nov 05, 2004
NASA and Japan's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has enabled scientists to look around the globe and determine where the year-to-year changes in rainfall are greatest. Recently, scientists found that the El Nino-Southern Oscillation is the main driver of the change in rain patterns all around the world.

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