How do El Nio and La Nina influence the Atlantic and Pacific hurricane seasons?
The change in winds with height is referred to as vertical wind shear. Hurricane formation requires the winds to be fairly uniform throughout the atmosphere, meaning that they require low vertical wind shear. Hurricanes cannot form if the vertical wind shear is too high (above about 8 ms-1). Dr. William Gray at the Colorado State University has pioneered research efforts leading to the discovery of El Nio and La Nia impacts on Atlantic hurricane activity. El Nio contributes to more eastern Pacific hurricanes and fewer Atlantic hurricanes. La Nia contributes to fewer eastern Pacific hurricanes and more Atlantic hurricanes. El Nio produces westerly wind departures at upper levels of the atmosphere and easterly wind departures at lower levels, across the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean and tropical Atlantic. Over the eastern Pacific these wind patterns are opposite those normally seen in the region, and results in lower vertical wind shear. The eastern Pacific hurricane season is typically
Related Questions
- How does El Niño influence hurricane activity? The El Niño Southern Oscillation is a pattern of short-term climate variability in the tropical Pacific.
- How do El Nio and La Nina influence the Atlantic and Pacific hurricane seasons?
- How is La Niña influencing the Atlantic and Pacific hurricane seasons?
