otkn_721_elninolanina_lg.mp4
Summary: Learn how El Niño and La Niña, driven by changes in Pacific Ocean temperatures and trade winds, influence extreme weather patterns across the globe.
This Ocean Today video explains El Niño and La Niña, two climate phenomena characterized by abnormal ocean temperatures in the Pacific. El Niño occurs when weakening trade winds allow warm surface water to move eastward, reducing cold water upwelling off South America. This leads to a southward shift in the jet stream, causing flooding in the Southern US and warmer, drier conditions in the Pacific Northwest. Conversely, La Niña happens when strong trade winds push warm water back to the western Pacific, restarting cold water upwelling in the eastern Pacific. This displaces the jet stream northward, resulting in drought in the Southern US and cooler temperatures, heavy rains, and flooding in the Pacific Northwest. Both phenomena are part of a cycle that influences extreme weather, impacting food production, water supply, and human health globally.
Playback guide
1. time: 00:00 description: Video begins with the Ocean Today title sequence over an ocean backdrop. 2. time: 00:05 description: A split screen shows two oceans, one with a reddish tint (warmer) and the other with a bluish tint (colder), introducing El Niño and La Niña and their global weather influence. 3. time: 00:10 description: A stormy landscape with a bright sky on one side, illustrating the impact of ocean temperatures on weather. 4. time: 00:13 description: An animated globe focusing on the Pacific Ocean, explaining the mechanics of El Niño and La Niña. 5. time: 00:19 description: Animation shows trade winds pushing warm surface water (red/orange) westward, piling it up in the western Pacific, with a cross-section showing deeper warm water in the west and cold water upwelling in the east. 6. time: 00:26 description: Animation demonstrates weakening trade winds, allowing warm surface water to move eastward across the Pacific, reducing cold water upwelling off South America. This condition is identified as El Niño. 7. time: 00:35 description: Globe view of North America, showing how El Niño's climate impacts are felt primarily in the winter, with the warmer ocean shifting the jet stream southward. 8. time: 00:44 description: An animation illustrates the effects of El Niño on the US: flooding in the Southern United States and warmer, drier conditions in the Pacific Northwest and northern US/Canada. 9. time: 00:55 description: The animation returns to the Pacific, showing trade winds strengthening and blowing warm water back into the western Pacific. 10. time: 01:05 description: The stronger trade winds restart the upwelling of cool water in the eastern Pacific, with a cold water mass (blue) forming, defining La Niña. 11. time: 01:14 description: Globe view of North America, showing how La Niña brings unusually cold conditions in the tropical Pacific, displacing the jet stream northward. 12. time: 01:21 description: An animation illustrates La Niña's effects: drought in the Southern US and cooler temperatures, heavy rains, and flooding in the Pacific Northwest. 13. time: 01:28 description: A global map displays multi-year temperature anomalies, alternating between El Niño (warmer) and La Niña (cooler) phases, emphasizing their cyclical nature. 14. time: 01:32 description: Footage of large waves crashing and flooding a street, highlighting extreme weather impacts. 15. time: 01:34 description: A corn harvester at work, symbolizing impacts on food production. 16. time: 01:36 description: Water flowing from a hand pump, representing impacts on water supply. 17. time: 01:38 description: An ambulance driving, signifying impacts on human health. 18. time: 01:39 description: A rotating Earth from space, illustrating the global reach of these phenomena. 19. time: 01:45 description: Credits roll, followed by Smithsonian and NOAA logos.