Southern Oscillation
noun
climatology
: a periodic seesaw fluctuation in sea-level atmospheric pressures over the southern Pacific and Indian oceans that is believed to be linked to El Niño and La Niña events compare arctic oscillation, north atlantic oscillation
Examples of Southern Oscillation in a Sentence
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This year, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation -- a natural variation of warmer, neutral and cooler waters along the equatorial waters of the eastern Pacific -- has been in the cooler pattern, or La Niña, since September and is expected to continue for much of winter.
—
Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 19 Nov. 2025
La Niña is the cool phase of a natural, recurring climate cycle known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
La Niña is a part of a natural climate cycle officially known as El Niño-Southern Oscillation, what scientists call ENSO.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Nov. 2025
La Niña is a part of a natural climate cycle officially known as El Niño-Southern Oscillation, what scientists call ENSO.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 13 Nov. 2025
The researchers discovered that there's a connection between the locked weather patterns and the El Niño Southern Oscillation.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 13 Oct. 2025
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Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 19 Nov. 2025
La Niña is the cool phase of a natural, recurring climate cycle known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
La Niña is a part of a natural climate cycle officially known as El Niño-Southern Oscillation, what scientists call ENSO.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Nov. 2025
La Niña is a part of a natural climate cycle officially known as El Niño-Southern Oscillation, what scientists call ENSO.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 13 Nov. 2025
The researchers discovered that there's a connection between the locked weather patterns and the El Niño Southern Oscillation.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Southern Oscillation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Southern%20Oscillation. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.
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