el niño - “the christ child”
DESCRIPTION
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. Normal Conditions. Wind blows from east to west (right to left) Pushes water to western Pacific - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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