La Niña

Definition

La Niña is a climate pattern that describes cooler than normal ocean surface temperatures in the Eastern and Central Pacific Ocean, regions close to the equator off the west coast of South America.

Related terms

El Niño: The warm phase of a recurring climate pattern across the tropical Pacific—the El-Niño-Southern Oscillation, or “ENSO cycle.”

Climate Change: A long-term change in average weather patterns globally or regionally.

Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO): A long-term ocean fluctuation of the Pacific Ocean that waxes and wanes approximately every 20 to 30 years.