el niño - “the christ child”

El Niño is a disruption of the ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific having important consequences for weather and climate around the globe.

El Niño - “The Christ Child”

Normal Conditions• Wind blows from east to

west (right to left)• Pushes water to western

Pacific• Causes LOTS of rain

(monsoons & snow in Himalaya Mts.)

• Water flows along bottom & up at South America

The Normal Pacific

Normal Conditions

Note the change in wind and ocean currents during El Niño

El Niño

El Niño

• Trade winds push warm ocean water west, cool water rises behind it

• Trade winds ease and switch directions, warmest water moves east

• Earth’s warmest ocean water in the far western Pacific energizes huge thunderstorms

• Warm water, thunderstorms move eastward

• Thunderstorms disrupt jet stream patterns

Normal Ocean Thermocline

El Niño Thermocline

The Effects of El Niño

El Niño Conditions

• Water warms • Winds weaken• Upwelling stops• Climate changes• We do not know why this happens