southern oscillation

American  

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.

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southern oscillation Scientific  

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.

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Etymology

Origin of southern oscillation

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

"In terms of climate, Puerto Rico is situated at a crossroads, buffered on the west by the El Niño southern oscillation and by the cooler North Atlantic oscillation on the east," said Ramseyer.

From Science Daily • Dec. 15, 2023

One aspect of this larger phenomenon is an event weather scientists call the southern oscillation, a flip-flop-like reversal of atmospheric pressures at opposite sides of the great ocean.

From Time Magazine Archive

Whatever the explanation for this year's outbreak of crazy weather, scientists feel that the basic puzzle of El Ni�o and the southern oscillation is worth exploring.

From Time Magazine Archive