Future extreme Niña and El Niño events could also make our world even hotter
The more extreme La Niña and El Niño events that are predicted in the future could themselves make our world hotter with Australian scientists showing that they would reduce the ability of the Southern Ocean to take up heat, meaning more heat is retained in the atmosphere. The swings in the climate pattern known as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation are projected to get bigger under climate change - with more extreme La Niña and El Niño. But the authors say alongside the increase in the frequency of extreme weather events here in Australia, these bigger swings will also help to amplify global warming as they make the Southern Ocean less able to absorb heat.
Journal/conference: Nature Climate Change
Link to research (DOI): 10.1038/s41558-022-01398-2
Organisation/s: The University of New South Wales, CSIRO, ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes (CLEx)
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