8 Questions on El Niño and La Niña Eric Angat Teacher

Essential Question How do the oceans affect the weather and climate?

El Nino is the warming of the Pacific Ocean.

1.What is El Nino? 2.How often does El Nino happen? 3.What happens to the water of the Pacific Ocean during El Nino? 4. How are South America and Australia affected by El Nino? 5.What is La Nina? 6.How do the oceans affect the weather?

La Nina Pacific temperature cooler than normal Last 9-12 months Pacific Ocean drops 3-5 degrees Reoccurs every 3-7 years Cause by a decrease of ocean temp and increase in trade wind strength Westward wind gets stronger Allowing low cooler water to surface toward South America Cloud build up in Southeast Asia Wet period in middle eastern U.S Drought in South-eastern U.S Flood in Australia Brings nutrients to south American coast Cooler and snowier Canadian winter Up welling of cool water El Nino Warm ocean current flow along equator Occur every 4-7 years Trade wind weakens during El Nino Water flows downhill to the east Less warm air rises in the west As a result less wind is created Wind can no longer push warm water from the coast of South America Warm water pushes cooler, unwilling water No up welling to fertilize phytoplankton El Niño produces a lot of evaporation More cloud build up in South America

1.What is El Nino? 2. How often does El Nino happen? 3. What unusual happen to the water of the Pacific Ocean, West of South America during El Nino? 4. How is South America and Australia affected by El Nino? A chaotic weather phenomenon. Characterized by the warming of the Pacific Ocean. Appears every 3-7 years, and tends to happen around December. Unusual warming of ocean water. No one knows how. South America has more rainfall and Australia experiences drought.

5. What is La Nina? 6. How do the oceans affect the weather? It is the cooling of the Pacific Ocean. Causes flooding in Australia. The unusual heating and cooling of the ocean creates and imbalance that alters the global wind patterns.

7. What are the effects of El Nino and La Nina? El Nino results to stronger Trade Winds and warmer Pacific Ocean. Flooding in South America, drought in Southeast Asia and Australia. Ice storms, drought, and mudslides in North America. La Nina results to weaker Trade Winds and cooler Pacific Ocean. Weather is opposite to El Nino.

Trade Winds are winds near the equator. Equator Trade Winds ( northeast) Trade Winds (southeast) Trade Winds are strong during El Nino. Trade Winds are weak during La Nina.

8. How is the United States affected by El Nino? Drought Very Cold Severe Storms Storms, precipitation

Weak (WE), Moderate (ME), and Strong El Niño (SE).

Table 1. Consensus List of El Niño and La Niña Years WinterWRCCCDCCPCMEIConsensus C+CCCLa Niña W+ W W W CC C+ CStrong La Niña C C- Weak La Niña WWW+WEl Niño W+ W C C W W C CC-La Niña W+WWWEl Niño C C WW W W C CCLa Niña C C- Weak La Niña W+W WStrong El Niño C+C Strong La Niña C C- Weak La Niña C+C CStrong La Niña W W W+ W- El Niño W W+W Strong El Niño C C WW W+W-W El Niño C+C-C+CStrong La Niña W WWW+ Strong El Niño W W+W-El Niño W+ W W+ WW-El Niño C W+W Strong El Niño C+ CC-La Niña CC CCC- La Niña WWWWEl Niño

Warmer CoolerEquator Northern Hemisphere Southern Hemisphere

Ocean water temperatures have a great effect on weather patterns, including creating hurricanes and providing energy for coastal storms.

Hundreds of years ago, South American fishermen observed that every year around December or Christmas, coastal waters of the Pacific became warmer as a current flowed from north to south. This change often meant a smaller catch but more rainfall inland. And that translated to more abundant crops. They called it El Niño.

El Niños can bring heavy rainfall and flooding to the West Coast of South America. Meanwhile, Australia and Southeast Asia may face a drought and high risk of wildfires. In North America, scientists have also linked unusual weather events — including ice storms, droughts and mudslides — to the arrival of an El Niño.