Difference between El Nino and La Nina
Click Here to Read about El Niño and La Nina and their impact on Indian Weather.
| Feature | El-Nino | La-Nina |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | El Nino is a Spanish term which represents “little boy” | La Nina is a Spanish term which represents ‘little girl’. |
| Temperature at Sea Surface | Temperature at sea surface is warmer than normal sea-surface temperatures. El Nino is a warming of the Pacific Ocean between South America and the Date Line, centred directly on the Equator, and typically extending several degrees of latitude to either side of the equator. | Temperature at sea surface is cooler than normal sea-surface temperatures. La Nina exists when cooler than usual ocean temperatures occur on the equator between South America and the Date Line. |
| Pressure | It accompanies high air surface pressure in the western Pacific | accompanies low air surface pressure in the eastern Pacific |
| Trade winds | El Niño occurs when tropical Pacific Ocean trade winds die out and ocean temperatures become unusually warm | La Nina, which occurs when the trade winds blow unusually hard and the sea temperature become colder than normal |
| Seasons | Winters are warmer and drier than average in the Northwest of pacific, and wetter in Southwest of pacific and experience reduced snowfalls. | Winters are wetter and cause above-average precipitation across the Northwest of pacific and drier and below average precipitation in South west of pacific. |
| Coriolis force | El Nino results in a decrease in the earth’s rotation rate (very minimal) , an increase in the length of day, and therefore a decrease in the strength of the Coriolis force | La Nino results in increase in the earth’s rotation rate, decrease in the length of day, and therefore a increase in the strength of the Coriolis force. |
| Ocean waters in Pacific | Warm water approaches the coasts of South America which results in reduced upwelling of nutrient-rich deep water impacting impacts on the fish populations. | Cold water causes increased upwelling of deep cold ocean waters numbers of drought occurrence, with more nutrient-filled eastern Pacific waters. |
| Cyclones | Comparatively less compared to La Niña as wind speed is low | La Nina had a greater tendency to trigger intense tropical cyclones as wind direction changes pilling up water between Indonesia and nearby areas as winds from Africa onwards gets blocked. |
