The weather has wreaked havoc across the world in recent days with more than one million people affected by severe flooding in Sri Lanka, Australia and Brazil.
The significant rainfall and subsequent flooding in Australia can be attributed to climatological phenomenon, La Niña, which began in June.
During a La Niña year, sea surface temperatures across the western side of the Pacific, to the east of Australia, increase.
Lower than normal sea surface temperatures will be found across the Pacific, near Peru and Ecuador.
Warmer waters contain more energy and hence fuel bigger storms, which ultimately lead to more rainfall, as experienced by the Australian state of Queensland this week.
The significant rainfall and subsequent flooding in Australia can be attributed to climatological phenomenon, La Niña, which began in June.
During a La Niña year, sea surface temperatures across the western side of the Pacific, to the east of Australia, increase.
Lower than normal sea surface temperatures will be found across the Pacific, near Peru and Ecuador.
Warmer waters contain more energy and hence fuel bigger storms, which ultimately lead to more rainfall, as experienced by the Australian state of Queensland this week.
In fact Australia has experienced periodic heavy rainfall since November.
But it is not so easy to link La Niña with the flooding in Sri Lanka and Brazil - any relationship is likely to be subtle.
There is some suggestion that the easterly trade winds that blow across the oceans have interacted with the northeasterly monsoon winds, aiding convective storms in Sri Lanka.
The easterly trade winds across the Pacific will become stronger when we see an increasing sea surface temperature contrast, which is what we get with La Niña.
But it is not so easy to link La Niña with the flooding in Sri Lanka and Brazil - any relationship is likely to be subtle.
There is some suggestion that the easterly trade winds that blow across the oceans have interacted with the northeasterly monsoon winds, aiding convective storms in Sri Lanka.
The easterly trade winds across the Pacific will become stronger when we see an increasing sea surface temperature contrast, which is what we get with La Niña.
