1. El Nino: What’s It All About?

2. ENSO: El Nino Southern Oscillation
January 31, 1998

3. What is El Nino?
warming of sea surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean caused by slowing of Pacific gyre
“warm phase”, occurs every 3-7 years
the shift in temperatures dramatically affects global weather

4. Occurs during Christmas season ...
First noticed by Peruvian Fishermen
“Christ Child”
“The Boy”
“The Little One”

5. Common Effects of El Nino?
US southwest wetter
US northwest mild winters
Atlantic hurricanes milder and less frequent
African droughts or floods
European droughts and floods
East asian floods
Vietnam Has Been Hit by Flood and Drought in 2002.
U.S. had worst fire year in last 50; this photo from Angeles National Forest

6. What is La Nina?
cooling of sea surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean caused by speeding up of Pacific gyre
“cold phase”, occurs every 3-7 years

7. More El Nino Images
Spring El Nino
Normal
Autumn El Nino

8. National El Nino Impact

12. Measuring El Nino Weather Station: Colorado

13. Measuring El Nino Buoys

14. The World’s Largest Scientific Instrument!
Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) Array of ATLAS moored buoys

15. Measuring El Nino Satellites

16. Measuring El Nino Sea Surface Temperatures

17. Measuring El Nino: Coral Bleaching

18. El Nino and California Increased chance of heavy winter rains
Severe flooding and landslides (1934, La Canada floods kill more than 40 people; 1978 killer landslides in local mountains)
Bigger surf from larger Pacific Storms
Increased summer droughts
A rescuer helps a woman out of her Orange County house, 1998