4 Geography · 4.1.5 Weather systems and world climates

4.1.5.7 El Niño, La Niña, ENSO and the Indian Ocean Dipole

El Niño is a periodic warming of the central and eastern tropical Pacific, and La Niña its cold opposite; together with the linked see-saw of air pressure (the Southern Oscillation) they form ENSO, which shifts rain and drought across the globe, while the Indian Ocean Dipole plays a similar role in the Indian Ocean.

  • APPSC Group 1
  • Advanced level
  • 9 min read
  • Full course

Key terms

  • El Niño
  • La Niña
  • ENSO
  • Southern Oscillation
  • Gilbert Walker
  • Walker circulation
  • Tahiti
  • Darwin
  • Southern Oscillation Index
  • Humboldt current
  • Peru current
  • upwelling
  • thermocline
  • Niño 3.4
  • Oceanic Niño Index
  • El Niño Modoki
  • Indian Ocean Dipole
  • Dipole Mode Index
  • MJO
  • Indian monsoon

What this note covers

  1. Core factsFoundation
  2. ExplainedStandard
  3. DeeperAdvanced
  4. Mains writingMains writing
  5. Common trapsFoundation
  6. Quick revisionFoundation

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