Solar Activity and the El Nino-Southern
Oscillation (ENSO) Phenomenon
{an Earth Systems Science project developed by Cliff Bishop,
Eisenhower High School, Yakima, WA}
(Updated 12-19-99)
The relatively new field of Earth Systems Science is an
amalgamation of several sciences, including earth and space,
meteorological, environmental, natural, and biological sciences. The
interconnectedness and interdependence of the various organic and
inorganic systems that comprise Earth have led to the development of
this important new area of scientific pursuit.
(The project described below will undergo further revisions as
warranted.)
 10-30-99
Thermal Image of La Nina Effect
|
< 30th October, 1999 - Notice the tongue
of cooler surface temperatures extending westward. This
indicates La Nina has strengthened during October, which may
mean a wetter summer for Australia and wetter winter
for Pacific Northwest.
< image from ENSO article site (updated
11-8-99) at URL: http://vision.net.au/~daly/elnino.htm
Most recent Thermal
Image of Global Sea Surface Temperatures in
the Western Hemisphere
|
Thermal Scale of Sea Surface Temperatures
El
Nino and Global Temperature
-> What causes one year to be warmer or cooler
than other years?
-> Why was 1998 such a warm year (as measured by the
satellites)?
Now that there is nearly 20 years of satellite temperature
data available, it is now possible to determine the primary
cause of year-to-year changes in global temperature, and to
show how and why 1998 was the warmest year since 1979 (the year
the satellite monitoring began). We will deal with two
variables only, the first being the temperature of the lower
troposphere as measured by satellites, and the second being the
Southern Oscillation Index. (J. L. Daly, 1999)
The El
Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Phenomena
The El-Niño Southern Oscillation is the
result of a cyclic warming and cooling of the surface ocean of
the central and eastern Pacific. This region of the ocean is
normally colder than it's equatorial location would suggest,
mainly due to the influence of northeasterly trade winds, a
cold ocean current flowing up the coast of Chile, and the
upwelling of cold deep water off the coast of Peru.
At times, the influence of these cold water sources wane,
causing the surface of the eastern and central Pacific to warm
up under the tropical sun - this is an EL-NIÑO
event. This results in heavy rainfall in South America, but
severe droughts in eastern Australia. The more intense the
El-Niño, the more intense and extensive the Australian
droughts.
At other times, the injection of cold water becomes more
intense than usual, causing the surface of the eastern Pacific
to cool - this is a LA-NIÑA event. This results
in droughts in south America and heavy rainfall, even floods,
in eastern Australia. In this way, Australia experiences it's
characteristic cycle of droughts and floods - all caused by the
El-Niño/La-Niña cycle described above. (J.
L. Daly, 1999)
Solar
Activity Controls El Nino and La Nina
-> Does a correlation exist between solar
activity and global weather patterns?
-> Is there a relationship between sunspot activity
and El Nino?
-> What does the Golden Ratio have to do with the
11-year sunspot cycle?
These questions are addressed during our investigation of
the web-based article, "Solar
Activity Controls El Nino and La Nina", by Dr. Theodor
Landscheidt, of the Schroeter Institute for Research in Cycles
of Solar Activity, Nova Scotia, Canada. The article contains an
additional link to Dr. Landscheidt's article, "Solar
Activity: A Dominant Factor in Climate Dynamics", in
which he describes the effects of solar activity on global
climate in a more technical format. The article has an
extensive bibliography, and although highly technical in
nature, does provide valuable information concerning variations
in solar irradiance over time, focusing on sunspot cycles and
solar winds as major influences, and their effects over decades
and even, centuries.
