厄尔尼诺

In 1997, it brought more energy with it than a million Hiroshima bombs, and it's resurfaced again in 2007 In 1997, it brought more energy with it than a million Hiroshima bombs, and it's resurfaced again in 2007. El Nino is a weather cycle that happens every few years but the El Nino of '97-'98 was one of the most devastating. It killed nearly 2,100 people worldwide and left $33 million US in property damages in its wake. As if that wasn't bad enough, El Nino was followed by one of the worst La Nina cycles in recent history - the very next year. Curious about how a weather system can wreak so much havoc? Read on to find out! El Nino and La Nina - Equatorial Weather Patterns El Nino is a weather pattern that passes through the Equatorial Pacific Ocean every couple of years (it tends to appear every three to eight years). El Nino is associated with warmer ocean currents but that's not all that happens when this system passes through. Air pressure changes during El Nino causing higher temperatures and, when that is combined with warmer ocean currents, evaporation takes place at a greater speed. All these elements combined lead to drastic changes in normal weather patterns and can cause abnormal amounts of rain. These rainstorms take place within the Equatorial Pacific Ocean - causing massive flooding for the countries in that area, including the United States, Peru and other parts of South and Central America. While the Eastern Pacific area is being pummeled by extra rain, areas like Australia, Indonesia and India deal with severe drought. This is because much of the moisture that is normally dispersed around the world is evaporating too quickly and staying within the Eastern Pacific Ocean. El Nino and La Nina - Role Reversal Just like everything else in the world, El Nino has an opposite too. La Nina is a weather system that hits the Pacific Ocean between December and March. La Nina is as unpredictable as El Nino but usually shows up every three to eight years, following an El Nino system. While there are mild winters and flooding associated with El Nino, the complete opposite is true when La Nina arrives; La Nina brings harsh winters with drought and abnormally cold temperatures. El Nino and La Nina - The History There was a time when these two weather patterns were responsible for thousands of deaths. During the El Nino cycle in 1789, 600,000 people died in one region of India due to severe drought. Thanks to modern day science, we are now able to predict when we will see these weather systems pass through. This doesn't mean we can necessarily lessen the physical damage they cause, but early warnings may help to save lives in the future. The El Nino system making its way through the Pacific Ocean in 2007 is expected to bring some of the hottest temperatures on record along with it. El Nino and La Nina - Fun Facts Both El Nino and La Nina mean, The Child, in Spanish (one is the male version and one is the female version). El Nino usually refers to the baby Jesus because the weather patterns often begin to surface around Christmas time. El Nino is also known as ENSO (El Nino-Southern Oscillation). Southern Oscillation is a term used to describe the way air pressure changes during an El Nino system. The longest lasting El Nino system lasted for four years. They usually only last about 12 to 18 months. Source: http://www.kidzworld.com/article/2620-el-nino-and-la-nina-systems 1997年，厄尔尼诺带来的能量超过100万颗广岛原子弹，2007年，它又发生了。厄尔尼诺 是每隔几年发生的气候循环，但1997-98年的厄尔尼诺是其中最具破坏性的之一。随着它的到来，全世界2,100人丧生，造成3,300万美元的财产损失。似乎这还不算太糟糕，在最近的中，其中一场最严重的拉尼娜循环随着厄尔尼诺而来——恰好就在明年。你对一种气候现象如何造成这样严重的灾害好奇吗？请继续阅读找到答案！ 厄尔尼诺和拉尼娜——赤道附近的气候模式 厄尔尼诺每几年（通常每3—8年一次）经过赤道附近太平洋的气候模式。厄尔尼诺与更热的洋流有关，但不是这种气候现象发生的全部原因。当厄尔尼诺造成更高的温度时，空气压力发生变化，当与更高的洋流温度结合时，水以更快的速度蒸发。所有这些因素结合起来，导致正常的气候模式变化，并且反常的降雨量。这些暴风雨在赤道附近的太平洋地区降临，给那个地区的包括美国、秘鲁和其它中、南美洲在内的国家造成大规模洪水泛滥。当东太平洋地区受到过多雨水的连续袭击时，象澳大利亚、印度尼西亚和印度之类的地区正在应对严重干旱。这是因为许多在全世界正常分布的湿气蒸发太快，并且滞留在东太平洋地区。 厄尔尼诺和拉尼娜——作用的相反 正象世界上其它事物一样，厄尔尼诺也有与其相反的事物。拉尼娜是在12月至次年3月间袭击太平洋的气候现象。拉尼娜象厄尔尼诺一样不可预测，但通常每过3—8年，紧随厄尔尼诺出现。暖冬和洪水泛滥与厄尔尼诺相关联，而当拉尼娜来临时，完全相反的现象真正出现；拉尼娜带来伴随干旱的令人难受的冬天和反常的寒冷气候。 厄尔尼诺和拉尼娜——历史 在过去的的时间里，两种气候模式曾是造成成千上万人死亡的原因。在1789年的厄尔尼诺期间，印度一个地区有60万人由于严重干旱而死亡。由于现代科学的发展，现在我们能预测这些气候现象发生的时间。这并不意味着我们能必然地减轻它们所造成的物质损失，但预警可能有助于在未来挽救生命。预计在2007年经过太平洋一路前进的厄尔尼诺将带来破记录的最高气温。 厄尔尼诺和拉尼娜——有趣的事实 厄尔尼诺和拉尼娜西班牙语的意思都是小孩（一个是小男孩，一个是小女孩）。因为这种气候模式通常在圣诞节前后出现，厄尔尼诺通常指刚出生的耶苏。 厄尔尼诺也指“恩索”（厄尔尼诺—南方涛动）。南方涛动是描述在厄尔尼诺现象发生期间空气压力变化的方式的术语。 最长的持久的厄尔尼诺现象持续了4年。这种现象通常持续12—18个月。