El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Health: An Overview for Climate and Health Researchers <s> ENSO indices <s> An attempt is made to obtain a coherent picture of the extent and mode of operation of the ‘southern oscillation.’ This term is used here, following Sir Gilbert Walker, to describe a standing fluctuation of opposed pressure anomalies in both eastern and western hemispheres. The existence of this opposition has been verified, using more recent data, for stations in the Indian and Pacific Ocean regions; results show the oscillation was less marked in recent decades. ::: ::: ::: ::: The representativeness and physical meaning of the index devised by Walker to characterize the state of the oscillation are considered. The geographical extent of the phenomenon is examined using correlation and regression charts of pressures with Walker's index. The temperature and rainfall anomalies associated with it may be derived qualitatively from the pressure anomalies. ::: ::: ::: ::: Recent data are used to verify persistence and lag correlations between station pressures; while there has again been some decline, the lag correlations of elements with previous South America pressures still hold good. The decline in these various quantities is indicative of a minor secular change commencing in the 1920's, which is also evident in a decrease in the variability of pressure. ::: ::: ::: ::: What ‘periodicities’ appear to exist in elements affected by the southern oscillation may well be an outcome of sampling fluctuations in (often persistent) random series. This is suggested by the variety of supposed ‘periods’ reported, and their evanescence in space and time. An example of this evanescence in time is provided from the Darwin pressure record. ::: ::: ::: ::: A mechanism for the oscillation is proposed in terms of variations in a direct toroidal circulation between warmer eastern and cooler western hemispheres. These variations are attributed, (following a model by Palmer of the synoptic climatology of the tropical Pacific) to variations in the south-east trades in the South Pacific and the consequent variations in cyclonic vortex generation in the West Pacific. The persistence of anomalies is then due to the extent of ocean areas in the south-east Pacific where the sea temperature is lower than the air temperature. The lag correlations observed may be due to this persistence and to a transmission of anomalies along the trades through air-sea interaction. <s> BIB001 </s> El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Health: An Overview for Climate and Health Researchers <s> ENSO indices <s> Abstract Surface marine observations, satellite data, and station observations of surface pressure and precipitation are used to describe the evolution of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies, surface wind fields, and precipitation anomaly patterns during major warm episodes in the eastern and central tropical Pacific. The sequence of events is described in terms of composite SST and wind fields (30°N–30°S) for six warm episodes since 1949, and time series and cross-spectral analyses of mean monthly data along six shipping lanes which cross the equator between the South American coast and 170°W. During the months preceding a warm episode, the equatorial easterlies are stronger than normal west of the dateline. This and other coherent and strongly developed anomaly patterns over the western equatorial Pacific and South Pacific are associated with a South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) located southwest of its normal position. During October-November prior to El Nino, the equatorial easterly anomalies i... <s> BIB002 </s> El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Health: An Overview for Climate and Health Researchers <s> ENSO indices <s> Abstract This note documents two indices of the Southern Oscillation based on sea-surface temperature (SST) and rainfall, and compares their statistics with those of two pressure indices. The indices are almost equivalent on an annual basis, and the SST and rainfall indices may be used with monthly time resolution without smoothing. <s> BIB003 </s> El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Health: An Overview for Climate and Health Researchers <s> ENSO indices <s> The Southern Oscillation (Variability of the Tropical Atmosphere). Oceanic Variability in the Tropics. Oceanic Adjustment. I. Oceanic Adjustment. II. Models of Tropical Atmosphere. Interactions between the Ocean and Atmosphere. Bibliograpy. <s> BIB004 </s> El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Health: An Overview for Climate and Health Researchers <s> ENSO indices <s> Every year floods cause enormous damage all over the world. This study investigates loss of human life statistics for different types of floods and different regions on a global scale. The OFDA/CRED Database contains data on international disasters and is maintained by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters in Brussels (CRED) in cooperation with United States Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). Information from this source on a large number of flood events, which occurred between January 1975 and June 2002, is evaluated with respect to flood location and flood type. Due to the limited availability of information on coastal flood events, the scope of this study is limited to three types of freshwater flooding: river floods, flash floods and drainage problems. First, the development of loss of life statistics over time is discussed. Second, the dataset is analysed by region, by flood type and by the combination of type and region. The study shows that flash floods result in the highest average mortality per event (the number of fatalities divided by the number of affected persons). A cross analysis by flood type and location shows that average mortality is relatively constant for the different types over various continents, while the magnitude of the impacts (numbers of killed) and affected for a certain type varies between the different continents. On a worldwide scale Asian river floods are most significant in terms of number of persons killed and affected. Finally, a comparison with figures for other types of natural disasters shows that floods are the most significant disaster type in terms of the number of persons affected. <s> BIB005 </s> El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Health: An Overview for Climate and Health Researchers <s> ENSO indices <s> Pejman Rohani discusses a new study that examined the dynamic relationship between climate variables and dengue incidence in Thailand, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. <s> BIB006
COBE) over the months of November-DecemberJanuary (NDJ) and December-January-February (DJF). Because the classification is based on SST anomalies for NDJ and DJF, it identifies the year of the development phase of an ENSO event. For strong (weak) events, the averaged Niño 3.4 anomaly must exceed 1 (be between 0.5 and 1) standard deviation. A neutral phase is deemed to be associated with a standard deviation of less than 0.5. Strong and weak El Niño and La Niña years are listed in 1957 BIB001 , 1972 BIB002 , 1991 , 1997 BIB006 Weak El Niño 1963 , 1968 , 1976 , 1977 , 1987 , 1994  Strong La Niña 1973 , 1975 , 1988  , 1999  Weak La Niña 1950 , 1954 , 1955 , 1964 , 1970 , 1971 BIB003 , 1995 , 2000 BIB005 CP El Niño 1958 , 1968 , 1977 , 1979 , 1987 BIB004 , 1994  BIB006 Perhaps even more apposite when considering the application of ENSO indices to the analysis of ENSO -health associations would be reflection on the conceptual links between ENSO and health-sensitive climate fields given that the ENSO signature may vary considerably with season and location.