‘Triple dip’ La Nina and its impact on India’s monsoon
- Category
Geography
- Published
23rd Sep, 2022
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Context
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) predicted that a third consecutive event of La Niña could be underway.
About
What is La Niña?
El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
- ENSO is the interaction between the atmosphere and ocean in the tropical Pacific.
- It is a series of linked weather and ocean-related phenomena.
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- La Niña involves the large-scale cooling of the ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean coupled with changes in the tropical atmospheric circulation (winds), pressure, and rainfall.
- It usually has the opposite impact on weather and climate as El Niño.
- La Niña is characterized by lower-than-normal air pressureover the western Pacific.
- These low-pressure zones contribute to increased rainfall.
- La Niña years are associated with above-average trade winds, pushing the warmer waters towards Asia and drawing in cooler than normal water temps to the equatorial pacific.
- Causes: La Niña is caused by a build-up of cooler-than-normal watersin the tropical Pacific, the area of the Pacific Ocean between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
- Unusually strong, eastward-moving trade winds and ocean currents bring this cold water to the surface, a process known as
- Effects:La Niña affects; patterns of rainfall, atmospheric pressure and global atmospheric circulations.
What does a triple La Niña mean?
- A triple La Niña or a ‘triple dip’ La Niña is a rare occurrence, lasting for three years in a row. It has happened only twice since 1950.
- On the contrary, the occurrence of two consecutive La Niña winters in the Northern Hemisphere is common.
Impact of El Nino and La Nina
- El Nino is associated with drought or weak monsoons.
- La Nina is associated with strong monsoons and above average rains and colder winters.
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Impact on India
- Monsoon: India may experience an extended monsoon lasting up to October due to La Niña.
- Agriculture:La Nina could have negative impacts on Indian agriculture.Farmers will be at risk of losing their standing Kharif crops if it rains during this period.