southern oscillation

noun

1. a low-latitude fluctuation of atmospheric pressure closely linked with El Niño events, specifically the periods of El Niño warming and La Niña cooling.

southern oscillation

1. The cyclic variation of atmospheric pressure at sea level between the eastern and western regions of the southern Pacific Ocean as a result of the periodic cooling and warming of surface water known as La Niña and El Niño. It has an average period of 2.33 years.

Word History and Origins

Origin of southern oscillation¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

The previous La Niña — active from January until about April of this year — “was a substantial player” in the region’s dry winter, said Emily Becker, research associate professor at the University of Miami who studies the El Niño Southern Oscillation ,or ENSO.

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La Niña, the drier component of the El Niño Southern Oscillation system, is still developing in the Pacific Ocean, officials said, but if its conditions align, it could help usher in a shorter and drier winter — and possibly a return to drought.

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La Niña is the drier component of the El Niño Southern Oscillation system, or ENSO, which is a main driver of climate and weather patterns across the globe.

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El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, sometimes referred to as ENSO.

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The progression from El Niño to La Niña, which is part of a broad system called the “El Niño Southern Oscillation,” or ENSO, is the result of conditions in the tropical Pacific.

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