Query: La Niñas, on the other hand, feature cooler than average waters in the Pacific

Relevant passages:
South Pacific convergence zone <=SEP=> The South Pacific Convergence Zone ( SPCZ ) , a reverse-oriented monsoon trough , is a band of low-level convergence , cloudiness and precipitation extending from the Western Pacific Warm Pool at the maritime continent south-eastwards towards French Polynesia and as far as the Cook Islands ( 160W , 20S ) . The SPCZ is a portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone ( ITCZ ) which lies in a band extending east-west near the Equator but can be more extratropical in nature , especially east of the International Date Line . It is considered the largest and most important piece of the ITCZ , and has the least dependence upon heating from a nearby landmass during the summer than any other portion of the monsoon trough . The SPCZ can affect the precipitation on Polynesian islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean , so it is important to understand how the SPCZ behaves with large-scale , global climate phenomenon , such as the ITCZ , El Niño -- Southern Oscillation , and the Interdecadal Pacific oscillation ( IPO ) , a portion of the Pacific decadal oscillation .

Pacific Ocean <=SEP=> The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of the Earth 's oceanic divisions . It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean ( or , depending on definition , to Antarctica ) in the south and is bounded by Asia and Australia in the west and the Americas in the east .   At 63,800,000 sqmi in area , this largest division of the World Ocean -- and , in turn , the hydrosphere -- covers about 46 % of the Earth 's water surface and about one-third of its total surface area , making it larger than all of the Earth 's land area combined .   The equator subdivides it into the North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean , with two exceptions : the Galápagos and Gilbert Islands , while straddling the equator , are deemed wholly within the South Pacific . The Mariana Trench in the western North Pacific is the deepest point in the world , reaching a depth of 35797 ft.   Both the center of the Water Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere are in the Pacific Ocean .   Though the peoples of Asia and Oceania have traveled the Pacific Ocean since prehistoric times , the eastern Pacific was first sighted by Europeans in the early 16th century when Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama in 1513 and discovered the great `` southern sea '' which he named Mar del Sur ( in Spanish ) . The ocean 's current name was coined by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan during the Spanish circumnavigation of the world in 1521 , as he encountered favorable winds on reaching the ocean . He called it Mar Pacífico , which in both Portuguese and Spanish means `` peaceful sea '' .

Tropical cyclone <=SEP=> A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center , a closed low-level atmospheric circulation , strong winds , and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain . Depending on its location and strength , a tropical cyclone is referred to by names such as hurricane ( -LSB- ˈhʌrᵻkən -RSB- or -LSB- ˈhʌrᵻkeɪn -RSB- ) , typhoon -LSB- taɪ ` fuːn -RSB- , tropical storm , cyclonic storm , tropical depression , and simply cyclone . A hurricane is a storm that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Pacific Ocean , a typhoon occurs in the northwestern Pacific Ocean , and a cyclone occurs in the south Pacific or Indian Ocean .   Tropical cyclones typically form over large bodies of relatively warm water . They derive their energy through the evaporation of water from the ocean surface , which ultimately recondenses into clouds and rain when moist air rises and cools to saturation . This energy source differs from that of mid-latitude cyclonic storms , such as nor'easter s and European windstorms , which are fueled primarily by horizontal temperature contrasts . The strong rotating winds of a tropical cyclone are a result of the conservation of angular momentum imparted by the Earth 's rotation as air flows inwards toward the axis of rotation . As a result , they rarely form within 5 ° of the equator . Tropical cyclones are typically between 100 and in diameter .   Tropical refers to the geographical origin of these systems , which form almost exclusively over tropical seas . Cyclone refers to their cyclonic nature , with wind blowing counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere . The opposite direction of circulation is due to the Coriolis effect .   In addition to strong winds and rain , tropical cyclones are capable of generating high waves , damaging storm surge , and tornadoes . They typically weaken rapidly over land where they are cut off from their primary energy source . For this reason , coastal regions are particularly vulnerable to damage from a tropical cyclone as compared to inland regions . Heavy rains , however , can cause significant flooding inland , and storm surges can produce extensive coastal flooding up to 40 km from the coastline . Though their effects on human populations are often devastating , tropical cyclones can relieve drought conditions . They also carry heat energy away from the tropics and transport it toward temperate latitudes , which may play an important role in modulating regional and global climate .