Final answer:
El Niño and La Niña refer to warm and cool phases of the ENSO cycle, which affect global weather patterns and can have significant economic and environmental impacts.
Step-by-step explanation:
El Niño and La Niña are significant drivers of inter-annual climate variability, associated with the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). El Niño is the warm phase, characterized by warm ocean water in the equatorial Pacific and changes in atmospheric pressure patterns, which can lead to extreme weather and significant impacts on global economies, especially those reliant on farming and fishing.
Conversely, La Niña represents the cool phase with below-average sea surface temperatures and its own distinct patterns affecting global climate, albeit generally less intensely than El Niño events. Both phenomena are closely watched by climatologists and meteorologists for their widespread impact on climate and weather patterns around the world.