Ocean waves explain which La Niña events will linger

Cattle scavenging parched landscapes in search of tufts of crispy grass were the iconic image of the Texas drought in the winter of 2011. Record dry conditions inflicted nearly $8 billion in economic losses on the state’s agricultural sector before April showers brought a scant dose of relief. By fall, however, it became clear that warm, dry weather would return the following winter thanks to a persistent weather pattern in the tropical Pacific known as La Niña.

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Julia Rosen

Rosen holds a doctorate in geology and is a freelance science writer based in Portland, Ore. She has served as both an intern and an interim staff writer for EARTH, has also written for the Los Angeles Times and AGU’s Eos, and occasionally hosts 60-Second Science podcasts for Scientific American. Find more of her work at www.julia-rosen.com.

july 2014
august 2014
julia rosen
news
geology
el nino
la nina
oceanography
circulation
Monday, July 21, 2014 - 02:00

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