El Nino Pre-test

During an ENSO, warm water travels East towards the Americas. What effect does the warm water have on land in North America?

A lot of rainfall, so flooding and mudslides.

What does an El Nino bring to the coasts of the Americas?

An El Nino will bring warm water from SE Asia more East toward the Americas.

What effects does El Nino conditions have on SE Asia?

SE Asia gets a lot of droughts as well as stilling of trade winds.

What effects do normal conditions have on SE Asia?

SE Asia has warmer water which has high amounts of evaporation which has high amounts of precipitation. The warm water is always pushed back towards SE Asia during these conditions.

The moisture in the air from an El Nino leads to what in the Americas? Why is this a problem?

Storms, this is a problem because houses are flooded and mudslides occur causing large amounts of damage.

What effects do normal conditions have on the coasts of the Americas?

The Americas have cold air, cold water which stays high and contains a lot of nutrients and fish, and algae which is eaten by the fish.

What does ENSO stand for?

El Nino-Southern Oscillation

Where does an El Nino occur?

In the Pacific Ocean

What things could El Nino alter?

Jet streams and weather patterns.

Is El Nino related to Global Climate Change?

No, but it could have a possible impact on it.

Are we able to predict when an El Nino will start or end?

No, we only know that they could start in Decembers.

Why do fisheries off the coast of South America suffer? What happens to the fish?

The fish either die or travel elsewhere due to the low levels of DO and nutrients in the nearby water. This makes it hard for fisheries to make money if they aren't catching enough fish to sell.

What is an upwelling?

The movement of deep, cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface

What happens to the upwelling during an El Nino in the Americas?

The upwelling is "capped" from the warm water to prevent cold water from reaching the surface.

What effects does the warm water brought by El Nino have on the Americas?

The warm water increases evaporation which increases precipitation giving lots of rainfall to the US clearing droughts but also causing flooding and major mudslides. This warm water near South America will lower the amount of DO and nutrients in the water which will kill or relocate fish nearby.

What happens to North America's winter after an El Nino?

They're more mild.

What happens to the upwelling during normal conditions?

Water is dragged away from shore from winds as deeper water makes its way to the surface. This cycle continues in normal conditions.

What is an El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

a major climactic phenomena characterized by the movement of unusually warm surface water into the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean; results in extensive disruption of weather around the world