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ElNio|ClimateEducationModulesforK12

ElNio
ElNioisaclimatepatternrepresentinganunusualwarmingoftheeasterntropicalPacificOceanwhichislinkedtoimpactsonweatherandclimate
patternsaroundtheworld.
WhydoIcare?ElNioaffectsareasallovertheworldthroughthewarmingofthePacificOcean.ElNioimpactsincludedroughtconditions,warmer
or cooler than normal temperatures for different areas, precipitation pattern changes, and many other impacts which could all pose a threat for
agriculture,animalandhumanhealth,andplantlife.
I should already be familiar with: General Circulation of the Atmosphere, Ocean Circulations, Jet Streams, SemiPermanent highs and
lows,Radiation,Convection

ElNiowasfirstobservedbyWesternscientistsasanunusualoceanwarmingalongthecoastsofPeruandEcuadorinSouthAmerica.Thetimingof
thiswarmingoftencoincidedwiththeChristmasseason,soitwascalledElNioforthecomingoftheChristChild.Wenowknowthatthispoolof
unusuallywarmwatercanshiftatmosphericcirculationpatternsaroundtheglobe,leadingtochangesintemperatureandprecipitationinareasfaraway
fromthewarmpoolofwater.EachElNioeventisalittledifferentfromthenext,withvariationsinthetimingofthewarmingandthepositionofthe
warmestwater.ENSO,ElNioSouthernOscillation,referstothefluctuationsinthetemperatureandpressureofthesurfacewatersbetweentheeastern
andwesterntropicalPacificaspartoftheWalkercirculation.

FigureA:Normalvs.ElNioConditions
http://www.gma.org/surfing/weather/elnino.html

ElNioeventstypicallyoccureverythreetosevenyearsandstartwhenthetradewindsblowingfromthenortheast,neartheequatorintheNorthern
Hemisphere,weaken.Inastrongevent,thewindscanactuallyreverseandflowfromthewest.Thetradewindsweakenbecausetheairpressuregradient
betweentheeasternandwesterntropicalPacificdecreases.Asthewindsdiedown,warmwaterfromthewesternequatorialPacificsloshesbacktowards
SouthAmerica,thickeningthelayerofwarmsurfacewaterandcuttingofftheupwellingofnutrientsfromthedeepoceannearPeruandEcuador.This
leadstothedeathoffishandthebirdsthatfeedonthenutrients,leadingtoeconomicimpactsoncommercialfishingandguanogatheringforfertilizer
fromthenestingareasofthebirds.
Anareaofthunderstormsandintenserainfalloftenaccompaniesthepoolofwarmestwater,leadingtochangesinprecipitationamountsalongtheSouth
American coast. This causes flooding in western South America where it is usually dry and makes it excessively dry in the western Pacific where
precipitationnormallyfalls.

FigureB
ElNinoClimateChangesFeltAroundtheWorld,Imagefromwww.ncdc.noaa.gov

AllofthesechangesinthePacificOceanchangetheglobalatmosphericcirculation,whichinturnaffectstheweatherandclimatepatternsalloverthe
globe.Sincetheairflowsunimpededaroundtheearthashiftintheatmosphericpatternsatonelocation(similartoplacingalargerockinariver)can
lead to shifts in the flow of air and atmospheric patterns downstream. Figure B shows some of the known variability in climate associated with the
occurrenceofanElNioepisode.
Inaddition,thepoolofwarmwaterintheeasternPacificoceanaidsinthetransferofheatfromthislocation.Thisalsoaffectsweatherpatternsallover
the world. Areas usually receiving great amounts of rainfall could potentially dry out during an El Nio event and vice versa for other areas that are
usually dry. Over the central Pacific Ocean, typhoons usually increase during strong El Nio events due to the ample supply of warm water at the
surface. Since El Nio usually reaches its maximum strength in winter, El Nio has the strongest impacts on the weather in December, January, and
FebruaryintheSoutheast,althoughitcancontinuetoimpactweatherregionallyforseveralmonths.
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ElNio|ClimateEducationModulesforK12

FigureC:ModerateElNioWinterConditions
ImagefromNOAA,ModerateElNinoWinterConditions

TheeffectsofElNioalsoimpactthelocationofthejetstreams.ThesubtropicaljetstreammovesupintothesouthernUnitedStatesduringthewinter
monthsofanElNioyear.Thisjetbringswarm,moistairintosouthernCalifornia.Duringthewintertime,southernCaliforniawouldthenbemostly
wet. Southcentral Texas and the southeast US will be mostly cool and wet because the cold, moist air from the Pacific Ocean entering the southern
statesenhancescloudsandrainfallandcoolstemperaturesduetolackofdirectsunlight.Inturn,muchofthenorthernUnitedStatesandCanadawillbe
warmduringanElNioeventbecausethepolarjetstreamswingsfarthereastoverthenortheasternUnitedStates.FormuchofthesoutheasternUnited
States during the summer of an El Nio event, the climate is usually warmer and drier. The strong subtropical jet stream also tends to disrupt the
developmentofhurricanesintheAtlanticOceanandGulfofMexico.Becauseofthat,fewerhurricanesarelikelyduringanElNioyearinthetropical
Atlantic.

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