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Story: Climate

Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation, 1920–2000

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Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation, 1920–2000

The Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) is a natural variability in climate, including sea temperature, over decades. This graph shows the variations in the index derived from global sea surface temperatures. New Zealand experienced significant climate cooling in 1950 and again in 1977, after which the pattern shifted to a warmer phase.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: NIWA – National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, from data supplied by the UK Met Office

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How to cite this page

Brett Mullan, Andrew Tait and Craig Thompson, Climate – New Zealand and global climate patterns, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/diagram/7788/interdecadal-pacific-oscillation-1920-2000 (accessed 10 June 2026).

Story by Brett Mullan, Andrew Tait and Craig Thompson, published 2 March 2009.