Niño 3.4 index
E21753
The Niño 3.4 index is a climate indicator that tracks sea surface temperature anomalies in a central equatorial Pacific region to quantify the strength and phase of El Niño and La Niña events.
Aliases (2)
- Niño 1+2 index ×1
- Niño 3 index ×1
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
El Niño–Southern Oscillation index
→
climate index → sea surface temperature anomaly index → |
| appliedIn |
agricultural planning
→
disaster risk management related to ENSO → hydrological forecasting → |
| basedOn |
sea surface temperature
→
sea surface temperature anomalies relative to a climatological mean → |
| commonlyComputedAs |
3-month running mean of sea surface temperature anomalies
→
|
| correlatesWith |
changes in atmospheric circulation patterns
→
global temperature anomalies → precipitation anomalies in the tropics → shifts in tropical convection → |
| dataSource |
sea surface temperature analyses from observational and reanalysis products
→
|
| definedOverRegion |
Niño 3.4 region
→
|
| helpsCharacterize |
teleconnections between the tropical Pacific and global climate
→
|
| maintainedBy |
NOAA Climate Prediction Center
→
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration → |
| measures |
sea surface temperature anomalies in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean
→
|
| quantifies |
ENSO intensity
→
cold phase of ENSO → warm phase of ENSO → |
| regionLatitudeRange |
5°N to 5°S
→
|
| regionLongitudeRange |
170°W to 120°W
→
|
| relatedTo |
Niño 1+2 index
→
Niño 3 index → Niño 4 index → Oceanic Niño Index → Southern Oscillation Index → |
| spatialDomain |
central equatorial Pacific Ocean
→
|
| thresholdConvention |
El Niño often defined when anomalies exceed about +0.5 °C for several consecutive overlapping seasons
→
La Niña often defined when anomalies are below about −0.5 °C for several consecutive overlapping seasons → |
| timeResolution |
monthly
→
seasonal → |
| tracks |
sea surface temperature anomalies
→
|
| typicalBaselinePeriod |
30-year climatological period
→
|
| unit |
degrees Celsius
→
|
| usedBy |
climate scientists
→
meteorological agencies → operational forecasting centers → |
| usedFor |
assessing global climate variability
→
determining the phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation → monitoring ENSO conditions → quantifying the strength of El Niño events → quantifying the strength of La Niña events → seasonal climate prediction → |
| usedToDefine |
El Niño conditions
→
La Niña conditions → |
Referenced by (4)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Niño 3.4 index
("Niño 3 index")
→
Niño 3.4 index ("Niño 1+2 index") → |
relatedTo |
|
El Niño–Southern Oscillation
→
|
isMeasuredBy |
|
La Niña
→
|
measuredBy |