Which statement is false?

Which statement is false?

• A. La Niña is the opposite of El Niño.
• B. The 2015-2016 El Niño was among the strongest ever recorded.
• C. El Niño typically lasts 8-10 years.
• D. La Niña is associated with a more active Atlantic hurricane season.

Answer: (C)

El Niño and La Niña are phases of the ENSO cycle, a climate pattern in the tropical Pacific driven by interactions between the ocean and atmosphere. El Niño means warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific and shifts in wind and rainfall, while La Niña is the opposite, with cooler waters and opposite wind patterns. These events don’t last for years; they are short to medium-term episodes. Most El Niño events run about 9 to 12 months, occasionally stretching into a second year, but they rarely, if ever, persist for 8–10 years. The 2015–2016 El Niño was indeed one of the strongest on record, lasting around 18–20 months. La Niña, on the other hand, tends to favor more active Atlantic hurricane seasons because it lowers vertical wind shear there, allowing storms to develop more readily. So the statement about a multi-decade-long El Niño is the one that doesn’t fit how these climate patterns typically behave.

El Niño and La Niña are phases of the ENSO cycle, a climate pattern in the tropical Pacific driven by interactions between the ocean and atmosphere. El Niño means warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific and shifts in wind and rainfall, while La Niña is the opposite, with cooler waters and opposite wind patterns. These events don’t last for years; they are short to medium-term episodes. Most El Niño events run about 9 to 12 months, occasionally stretching into a second year, but they rarely, if ever, persist for 8–10 years. The 2015–2016 El Niño was indeed one of the strongest on record, lasting around 18–20 months. La Niña, on the other hand, tends to favor more active Atlantic hurricane seasons because it lowers vertical wind shear there, allowing storms to develop more readily. So the statement about a multi-decade-long El Niño is the one that doesn’t fit how these climate patterns typically behave.