{"id":1876015,"date":"2026-04-10T13:24:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T10:24:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1876015"},"modified":"2026-04-10T13:24:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T10:24:48","slug":"how-do-el-nino-and-la-nina-come-about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1876015","title":{"rendered":"How do El Nino and La Nina come about?"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/73225667_6.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5By2q<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n
Coastlines and islands around the world are at risk of rising sea levelsImage: Patrick Meinhardt\/AFP<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Ocean temperatures for March hit near-record highs, the European Union’s global warming monitor, the Copernicus Climate Change Service,\u00a0said on Friday.<\/p>\n

The warmest March for oceans on record was in 2024, during which the\u00a0El Nino<\/a>\u00a0climate cycle drove temperatures up. Current records\u00a0reflect\u00a0once again “a likely transition toward El Nino conditions,”\u00a0said Copernicus.<\/p>\n

Last month, The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) had similarly forecasted a cycle shift this year. A cooling La Nina cycle will\u00a0give way to neutral conditions before swinging into El Nino later this year, the organization predicts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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How do El Nino and La Nina come about?<\/h2>\n

US registers\u00a0hottest March in over 130\u00a0years<\/h2>\n

In the US, last month was the most abnormally hot\u00a0month in 132 years\u00a0of records, according to federal weather data.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“One reason that\u2019s so concerning is just the sheer volume of records.\u00a0This is coming on the heels of what was the worst snow year. And the hottest winter of record,”\u00a0the Associated Press quoted\u00a0Shel Winkley, meteorologist with the non-profit Climate Central, as saying.<\/p>\n

On March 20 and 21, about one-third of the US\u00a0felt unseasonable heat that would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change, Climate Central calculated.<\/p>\n

Following the 2015 Paris Agreement<\/a>, countries agreed to cap warming of near-surface temperature at 2\u00b0C. A more\u00a0ambitious target was set at\u00a01.5\u00b0C to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. In recent years, the global surface air temperature has increased by between 1.3\u00b0C and 1.4\u00b0C since the pre-industrial era, according to the EU monitor Copernicus.<\/p>\n

Understanding La Nina and El Nino<\/h2>\n

La Nina and El Nino are opposing climate\u00a0cycles in the tropical Pacific Ocean\u00a0that cause short-term temperature swings globally.\u00a0El Nino conditions tend to\u00a0amplify heat extremes on an already warming planet. The most recent El Nino in 2023-2024 contributed to making those years the second-hottest and hottest on record, respectively.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the Arctic,\u00a0the sea ice extent\u00a0was 5.7% below average for March, the lowest on record for the month, said the EU’s\u00a0Copernicus Climate Change Service on Friday.<\/p>\n

The area of ocean covered by ice is decreasing steadily year after year<\/a>, a key indicator of rapid warming in the\u00a0Arctic<\/a> and\u00a0Antarctica<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Heating up the oceans has\u00a0consquences<\/h2>\n

Oceans<\/a> are the heat resorts of the planet. They\u00a0absorb most of the excess heat caused by human activities and therefore play a key role in regulating the global climate.<\/p>\n

Warmer oceans\u00a0can have damaging knock-on effects on the planet. They are larger in\u00a0size due to thermal expansion.\u00a0In addition,\u00a0they accelerate the melting of the arctics both of which\u00a0contribute\u00a0to rising sea level. Furthermore, hotter seas\u00a0fuel\u00a0stronger storms and rainfall<\/a>, both of which are becoming more frequent in recent years.<\/p>\n

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How much CO2 can the Earth really absorb?<\/h2>\n

Edited by: Kieran Burke<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

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Ocean temperatures for March hit near-record highs, the European Union’s global warming monitor, the Copernicus Climate Change Service,\u00a0said on Friday.<\/p>\n

The warmest March for oceans on record was in 2024, during which the\u00a0El Nino<\/a>\u00a0climate cycle drove temperatures up. Current records\u00a0reflect\u00a0once again “a likely transition toward El Nino conditions,”\u00a0said Copernicus.<\/p>\n

Last month, The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) had similarly forecasted a cycle shift this year. A cooling La Nina cycle will\u00a0give way to neutral conditions before swinging into El Nino later this year, the organization predicts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

How do El Nino and La Nina come about?<\/h2>\n

US registers\u00a0hottest March in over 130\u00a0years<\/h2>\n

In the US, last month was the most abnormally hot\u00a0month in 132 years\u00a0of records, according to federal weather data.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“One reason that\u2019s so concerning is just the sheer volume of records.\u00a0This is coming on the heels of what was the worst snow year. And the hottest winter of record,”\u00a0the Associated Press quoted\u00a0Shel Winkley, meteorologist with the non-profit Climate Central, as saying.<\/p>\n

On March 20 and 21, about one-third of the US\u00a0felt unseasonable heat that would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change, Climate Central calculated.<\/p>\n

Following the 2015 Paris Agreement<\/a>, countries agreed to cap warming of near-surface temperature at 2\u00b0C. A more\u00a0ambitious target was set at\u00a01.5\u00b0C to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. In recent years, the global surface air temperature has increased by between 1.3\u00b0C and 1.4\u00b0C since the pre-industrial era, according to the EU monitor Copernicus.<\/p>\n

Understanding La Nina and El Nino<\/h2>\n

La Nina and El Nino are opposing climate\u00a0cycles in the tropical Pacific Ocean\u00a0that cause short-term temperature swings globally.\u00a0El Nino conditions tend to\u00a0amplify heat extremes on an already warming planet. The most recent El Nino in 2023-2024 contributed to making those years the second-hottest and hottest on record, respectively.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the Arctic,\u00a0the sea ice extent\u00a0was 5.7% below average for March, the lowest on record for the month, said the EU’s\u00a0Copernicus Climate Change Service on Friday.<\/p>\n

The area of ocean covered by ice is decreasing steadily year after year<\/a>, a key indicator of rapid warming in the\u00a0Arctic<\/a> and\u00a0Antarctica<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Heating up the oceans has\u00a0consquences<\/h2>\n

Oceans<\/a> are the heat resorts of the planet. They\u00a0absorb most of the excess heat caused by human activities and therefore play a key role in regulating the global climate.<\/p>\n

Warmer oceans\u00a0can have damaging knock-on effects on the planet. They are larger in\u00a0size due to thermal expansion.\u00a0In addition,\u00a0they accelerate the melting of the arctics both of which\u00a0contribute\u00a0to rising sea level. Furthermore, hotter seas\u00a0fuel\u00a0stronger storms and rainfall<\/a>, both of which are becoming more frequent in recent years.<\/p>\n

\n

How much CO2 can the Earth really absorb?<\/h2>\n

Edited by: Kieran Burke<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Ocean temperatures for March hit near-record highs, the European Union’s global warming monitor, the Copernicus Climate Change Service,\u00a0said on Friday.<\/p>\n

The warmest March for oceans on record was in 2024, during which the\u00a0El Nino<\/a>\u00a0climate cycle drove temperatures up. Current records\u00a0reflect\u00a0once again “a likely transition toward El Nino conditions,”\u00a0said Copernicus.<\/p>\n

Last month, The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) had similarly forecasted a cycle shift this year. A cooling La Nina cycle will\u00a0give way to neutral conditions before swinging into El Nino later this year, the organization predicts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n

In the US, last month was the most abnormally hot\u00a0month in 132 years\u00a0of records, according to federal weather data.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“One reason that\u2019s so concerning is just the sheer volume of records.\u00a0This is coming on the heels of what was the worst snow year. And the hottest winter of record,”\u00a0the Associated Press quoted\u00a0Shel Winkley, meteorologist with the non-profit Climate Central, as saying.<\/p>\n

On March 20 and 21, about one-third of the US\u00a0felt unseasonable heat that would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change, Climate Central calculated.<\/p>\n

Following the 2015 Paris Agreement<\/a>, countries agreed to cap warming of near-surface temperature at 2\u00b0C. A more\u00a0ambitious target was set at\u00a01.5\u00b0C to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. In recent years, the global surface air temperature has increased by between 1.3\u00b0C and 1.4\u00b0C since the pre-industrial era, according to the EU monitor Copernicus.<\/p>\n

La Nina and El Nino are opposing climate\u00a0cycles in the tropical Pacific Ocean\u00a0that cause short-term temperature swings globally.\u00a0El Nino conditions tend to\u00a0amplify heat extremes on an already warming planet. The most recent El Nino in 2023-2024 contributed to making those years the second-hottest and hottest on record, respectively.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the Arctic,\u00a0the sea ice extent\u00a0was 5.7% below average for March, the lowest on record for the month, said the EU’s\u00a0Copernicus Climate Change Service on Friday.<\/p>\n

The area of ocean covered by ice is decreasing steadily year after year<\/a>, a key indicator of rapid warming in the\u00a0Arctic<\/a> and\u00a0Antarctica<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Oceans<\/a> are the heat resorts of the planet. They\u00a0absorb most of the excess heat caused by human activities and therefore play a key role in regulating the global climate.<\/p>\n

Warmer oceans\u00a0can have damaging knock-on effects on the planet. They are larger in\u00a0size due to thermal expansion.\u00a0In addition,\u00a0they accelerate the melting of the arctics both of which\u00a0contribute\u00a0to rising sea level. Furthermore, hotter seas\u00a0fuel\u00a0stronger storms and rainfall<\/a>, both of which are becoming more frequent in recent years.<\/p>\n

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n

Edited by: Kieran Burke<\/em><\/p>\n

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[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/73225667_6.jpg”] https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5By2q Coastlines and islands around the world are at risk of rising sea levelsImage: Patrick Meinhardt\/AFP Ocean temperatures for March hit near-record highs, the European Union’s global warming monitor, the Copernicus Climate Change Service,\u00a0said on Friday. The warmest March for oceans on record was in 2024, during which the\u00a0El Nino\u00a0climate cycle drove […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,74],"class_list":["post-1876015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dw-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1876015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1876015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1876015\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1876015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1876015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1876015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}