Detection of the second El Nino, the impact spread throughout the Southern Hemisphere

Scientists have discovered a new climate phenomenon similar to El Nino, which can cause temperature changes across the Southern Hemisphere. This phenomenon begins in a small area of ​​the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of New Zealand, and is named the "Southern Hemisphere Circumpolar Wave Number 4 Pattern", or W4.

Detection of the second El Nino, the impact spread throughout the Southern Hemisphere Picture 1

El Nino and La Nina, temperature changes in the Eastern Pacific, have negative impacts around the world, causing droughts and floods in various regions.

The team at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology simulated climate conditions over 300 years of the pre-industrial period and found a consistent pattern of sea surface temperatures. keep repeating.

W4 begins off the coast of New Zealand, when a body of water that is unusually warm or cool during the Southern Hemisphere summer causes an atmospheric ripple, creating alternating zones of opposing temperatures. surrounding seas at similar latitudes. The completed wave model includes 4 warm zones and 4 cool zones.

W4 has a generally shorter lifespan than El Nino and La Nina, disintegrating in late autumn (Southern Hemisphere). W4 can occur with either El Nino or La Nina, or occur during neutral years.

The group of scientists said that more research is needed on W4 as well as the effect of this phenomenon on rainfall on the continent. Understanding this new weather system could significantly improve weather forecasts and climate predictions, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. In addition, this phenomenon also has the potential to help decipher previously unexplained climate changes and increase the ability to predict extreme weather and climate events.

David Pac

Update 27 July 2024