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Collection:
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NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Collection
NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Pacific Shows Signs of Morphing From Warm El Nino To Cool La Nina
Title
Pacific Shows Signs of Morphing From Warm El Nino To Cool La Nina
Title
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Original Caption Released with Image:
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New data of sea-level heights from early February, 2007, by the Jason altimetric satellite show that the tropical Pacific Ocean has transitioned from a warm (El Niño) to a cool (La Niña) condition during the prior two months. The beginnings of a possible La Niña are indicated by the blue area (in the center of the image along the equator) of lower than normal sea level (cold water). It is not certain yet if this current cooling trend will eventually evolve into a long-lasting, well-developed La Niña. "La Niña could send an already parched Western United States to its knees," said JPL oceanographer Dr. Bill Patzert. "In the Southwest, we call La Niña the little lady with the big dry punch." A La Niña situation often follows an El Niño episode and is essentially the opposite of an El Niño condition. During a La Nina, trade winds are stronger than normal, and the cold water that normally exists along the coast of South America extends to the central equatorial Pacific. A La Niña situation changes global weather patterns and is associated with less moisture in the air, resulting in less rain along the coasts of North and South America. Jason will continue to track this developing switch in the climate. This image of the Pacific Ocean was produced using sea-surface height measurements taken by the U.S.-French Jason satellite. The image is based on the average of 10 days of data centered on February 12, 2007, compared to the long-term average of observations from 1993 through 2005. In this image, places where the Pacific sea surface height is higher (warmer) than normal are yellow and red, and places where the sea surface is lower (cooler) than normal are blue and purple. Green shows where conditions are near normal. Sea-surface height is an indicator of the heat content of the upper ocean. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the U.S. portion of the U.S./French Jason mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. For more information on NASA's ocean surface topography missions, see http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/ or to view the latest Jason data see http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/science/jason1-quick-look/.
Original_Caption_Rel eased_with_Image
New data of sea-level heights from early February, 2007, by the Jason altimetric satellite show that the tropical Pacific Ocean has transitioned from a warm (El Niño) to a cool (La Niña) condition during the prior two months. The beginnings of a possible La Niña are indicated by the blue area (in the center of the image along the equator) of lower than normal sea level (cold water). It is not certain yet if this current cooling trend will eventually evolve into a long-lasting, well-developed La Niña. "La Niña could send an already parched Western United States to its knees," said JPL oceanographer Dr. Bill Patzert. "In the Southwest, we call La Niña the little lady with the big dry punch." A La Niña situation often follows an El Niño episode and is essentially the opposite of an El Niño condition. During a La Nina, trade winds are stronger than normal, and the cold water that normally exists along the coast of South America extends to the central equatorial Pacific. A La Niña situation changes global weather patterns and is associated with less moisture in the air, resulting in less rain along the coasts of North and South America. Jason will continue to track this developing switch in the climate. This image of the Pacific Ocean was produced using sea-surface height measurements taken by the U.S.-French Jason satellite. The image is based on the average of 10 days of data centered on February 12, 2007, compared to the long-term average of observations from 1993 through 2005. In this image, places where the Pacific sea surface height is higher (warmer) than normal are yellow and red, and places where the sea surface is lower (cooler) than normal are blue and purple. Green shows where conditions are near normal. Sea-surface height is an indicator of the heat content of the upper ocean. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the U.S. portion of the U.S./French Jason mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. For more information on NASA's ocean surface topography missions, see http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/ or to view the latest Jason data see http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/science/jason1-quick-look/. Original Caption Released with Image
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Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL Ocean Surface Topography Team
Image_Credit
NASA/JPL Ocean Surface Topography Team
Image Credit
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Produced By:
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JPL
Produced_By
JPL
Produced By
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Mission:
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Jason-1 (TOPEX/Poseidon)
Mission
Jason-1 (TOPEX/Poseidon)
Mission
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Spacecraft:
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Jason-1 (TOPEX/Poseidon)
Spacecraft
Jason-1 (TOPEX/Poseidon)
Spacecraft
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Target Name:
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Earth
Target_Name
Earth
Target Name
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Is a satellite of:
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Sol (our sun)
Is_a_satellite_of
Sol (our sun)
Is a satellite of
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Instrument:
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Altimeter
Instrument
Altimeter
Instrument
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Product Size:
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900 samples x 900 lines
Product_Size
900 samples x 900 lines
Product Size
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facet_what:
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Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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facet_what:
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TOPEX
facet_what
TOPEX
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Jason-1
facet_what
Jason-1
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Poseidon
facet_what
Poseidon
facet_what
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facet_what:
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TOPEX/Poseidon
facet_what
TOPEX/Poseidon
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Altimeter
facet_what
Altimeter
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Jason Satellite
facet_what
Jason Satellite
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Pacific Ocean
facet_where
Pacific Ocean
facet_where
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facet_where:
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California
facet_where
California
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Washington
facet_where
Washington
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Washington, D.C.
facet_where
Washington, D.C.
facet_where
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facet_where:
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United States of America
facet_where
United States of America
facet_where
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facet_when:
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February, 2007
facet_when
February, 2007
facet_when
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facet_when:
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February 12, 2007
facet_when
February 12, 2007
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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2007
facet_when_year
2007
facet_when_year
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Image #:
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PIA09208
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UID:
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SPD-PHOTJ-PIA09208
UID
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA09208
UID
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orignial url:
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orignial_url
orignial url
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