Oceans

The 2011 La Niña: So strong, the oceans fell

  1. Carmen Boening1,*,
  2. Josh K. Willis1,
  3. Felix W. Landerer1,
  4. R. Steven Nerem2,
  5. John Fasullo3

Article first published online: 4 OCT 2012

DOI: 10.1029/2012GL053055

Issue

Geophysical Research Letters

Geophysical Research Letters

Volume 39, Issue 19, 16 October 2012

Additional Information

How to Cite

Boening, C., J. K. Willis, F. W. Landerer, R. S. Nerem, and J. Fasullo (2012), The 2011 La Niña: So strong, the oceans fell, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L19602, doi:10.1029/2012GL053055.

Author Information

  1. 1

    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

  2. 2

    Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA

  3. 3

    National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA

*Corresponding author: C. Boening, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. (carmen.boening@jpl.nasa.gov)

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 4 OCT 2012
  2. Article first published online: 4 OCT 2012
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 29 AUG 2012
  4. Manuscript Revised: 20 AUG 2012
  5. Manuscript Received: 20 JUL 2012

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Keywords:

  • ENSO;
  • GRACE;
  • altimetry;
  • la nina;
  • sea level

[1] Global mean sea level (GMSL) dropped by 5 mm between the beginning of 2010 and mid 2011. This drop occurred despite the background rate of rise, 3 mm per year, which dominates most of the 18-year record observed by satellite altimeters. Using a combination of satellite andin situdata, we show that the decline in ocean mass, which explains the sea level drop, coincides with an equivalent increase in terrestrial water storage, primarily over Australia, northern South America, and Southeast Asia. This temporary shift of water from the ocean to land is closely related to the transition from El Niño conditions in 2009/10 to a strong 2010/11 La Niña, which affected precipitation patterns world-wide.

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