{"id":39717,"date":"2024-12-17T04:48:41","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T23:18:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=39717"},"modified":"2025-04-24T18:45:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T13:15:55","slug":"la-nina-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/la-nina-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How Does La Nina Affect India&#8217;s Climate"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>What is La Ni\u00f1a?<\/li>\n<li>How La Ni\u00f1a Affects Global Climate?<\/li>\n<li>La Ni\u00f1a and India\u2019s Climate<\/li>\n<li>Why Is La Ni\u00f1a Delayed in 2024?<\/li>\n<li>Meteorological Indices to Identify La Ni\u00f1a<\/li>\n<li>Climate Change and ENSO Events<\/li>\n<li>Significance of La Ni\u00f1a for India<\/li>\n<li>Conclusion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>What is La Ni\u00f1a?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>La Ni\u00f1a is a phase of the <strong>El Ni\u00f1o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)<\/strong> that occurs when <strong>sea surface temperatures<\/strong> in the <strong>eastern and central Pacific Ocean<\/strong> become cooler than usual.<\/li>\n<li>It is the opposite of <strong>El Ni\u00f1o<\/strong>, which brings warming in the same region. Both phases significantly influence <strong>global weather patterns<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>How La Ni\u00f1a Affects Global Climate?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>India<\/strong>: Promotes <strong>normal to above-normal monsoon rainfall<\/strong>, leading to better agricultural yields.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Africa<\/strong>: Causes drought-like conditions in certain regions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Atlantic Ocean<\/strong>: Intensifies <strong>hurricanes<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>United States<\/strong>: Southern states receive <strong>increased rainfall<\/strong> during La Ni\u00f1a.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>La Ni\u00f1a and India\u2019s Climate<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Winter Effects:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Colder Winters<\/strong>: La Ni\u00f1a winters tend to bring <strong>colder nights<\/strong> in northern India but with slightly higher daytime temperatures.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wind Speed and Pollution<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Higher Wind Speeds<\/strong> help disperse air pollution, improving air quality.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lower Planetary Boundary Layer Height (PBLH)<\/strong> may trap pollutants closer to the ground, worsening pollution.\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Current Scenario<\/strong>: In 2024, <strong>La Ni\u00f1a has not yet emerged<\/strong> as expected, with a 57% probability of it developing later in the year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monsoons and Summers:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Enhanced Monsoons<\/strong>: La Ni\u00f1a years (like <strong>2020-2022<\/strong>) have resulted in <strong>normal to above-normal rainfall<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Relief from Heat<\/strong>: La Ni\u00f1a reduces summer intensity, offering relief from heatwaves seen during <strong>El Ni\u00f1o years<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>El Ni\u00f1o Impact<\/strong>: El Ni\u00f1o summers are <strong>hotter<\/strong> and often disrupt the monsoons, leading to droughts. For example, 2023, an El Ni\u00f1o year, saw below-normal rainfall.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Why Is La Ni\u00f1a Delayed in 2024?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>La Ni\u00f1a usually forms during the <strong>pre-monsoon<\/strong> or <strong>monsoon season<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>However, in 2024, it has been unusually delayed, with <strong>Oceanic Ni\u00f1o Index (ONI)<\/strong> hovering at -0.3\u00b0C (threshold for La Ni\u00f1a is -0.5\u00b0C or lower).<\/li>\n<li>If La Ni\u00f1a forms, it would bring the following:\n<ul>\n<li>Cooler winters in <strong>northern India<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Stronger monsoons in <strong>summer 2025<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Meteorological Indices to Identify La Ni\u00f1a<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>La Ni\u00f1a is declared based on specific indices such as:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Oceanic Ni\u00f1o Index (ONI)<\/strong>: Measures average sea surface temperature anomalies<\/li>\n<li><strong>Persistence Rule<\/strong>: Values must consistently stay at or below the threshold (-0.5\u00b0C for La Ni\u00f1a) for five consecutive readings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Climate Change and ENSO Events<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Climate change is likely to increase the <strong>frequency and intensity<\/strong> of both La Ni\u00f1a and El Ni\u00f1o events due to rising ocean and atmospheric temperatures.<\/li>\n<li>Extreme La Ni\u00f1a events could amplify impacts like <strong>harsh winters<\/strong> and <strong>intense rainfall<\/strong> in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Significance of La Ni\u00f1a for India<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Agriculture<\/strong>: Boosts <strong>crop production<\/strong> due to strong monsoons, aiding farmers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Water Resources<\/strong>: Improves reservoir levels, reducing water stress.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Energy<\/strong>: More rainfall ensures better <strong>hydropower generation<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Relief from Heat<\/strong>: Less severe heatwaves compared to El Ni\u00f1o years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The delayed emergence of La Ni\u00f1a in 2024 has brought uncertainties regarding its impact on winter and monsoons.<\/li>\n<li>If La Ni\u00f1a sets in early 2025, it could ensure a <strong>strong monsoon season<\/strong>, crucial for India\u2019s agriculture and water resources.<\/li>\n<li>Monitoring <strong>ENSO patterns<\/strong> is vital to understanding and preparing for its climatic effects.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Q1. How do we measure the temperature of sea water?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The temperature of seawater is measured using instruments called thermistors. The temperature of seawater can be measured to great accuracy with carefully calibrated modern thermistors &#8211; down to variations of 0.0001\u00b0 C.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Q2. What are ocean currents in short answer?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Ocean currents are the continuous, predictable, directional movement of seawater driven by gravity, wind (<strong>Coriolis Effect<\/strong>), and water density. Ocean water moves in two directions: horizontally and vertically. Horizontal movements are referred to as currents, while vertical changes are called upwellings or downwellings.<\/p>\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/how-does-la-ni%C3%B1a-affect-indias-climate-explained\/article68993281.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">How does La Ni\u00f1a affect India\u2019s climate? | Explained<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>La Ni\u00f1a is a phase of the El Ni\u00f1o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":39718,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-39717","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39717\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}