La Niña on Dec. 26, 2010 (IMAGE)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

La Niña on Dec. 26, 2010

Caption

The La Niña is evident by the large pool cooler than normal (blue and purple) water stretching from the eastern to the central Pacific Ocean, reflecting lower than normal sea surface heights. "This La Niña has strengthened for the past seven months, and is one of the most intense events of the past half century," said Climatologist Bill Patzert of NASA JPL.

Credit

NASA JPL/Bill Patzert

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