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Climate Change

Learn about the El-Nino phenomenon, its history, and its impact on global climate patterns. Explore the complex interactions between the Earth's physical, biological, and chemical environments that contribute to El-Nino. Discover how El-Nino leads to dramatic changes in weather patterns, affecting regions such as South America, Indonesia, and Australia.

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Climate Change

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  1. Climate Change El-Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Phenomena

  2. El-Nino

  3. El Nino • Christ child • El Nino patterns are first recognized during the Christmas season. • Complex interactions between the Earth’s • Physical • Biological • Chemical environments

  4. El-Nino Geography

  5. Physical conditions • Atmosphere • Ocean circulation pattern • Ocean surface temperatures

  6. The atmosphere • Trade winds feed into, • Walker cell • Hadley cell • Resulting precipitation patterns

  7. Normal Conditions Walker Cell Equator Sea level Thermocline Upwelling Conditions

  8. The Atmosphere/Ocean connection • Feed off one another, • Makes for a very complex story • Overhead!

  9. Pacific Ocean surface currents • Driven by atmospheric circulation • North Equatorial (NEC) • South Equatorial (SEC) • North Equatorial Counter Current (NECC) • Peru Current

  10. SST, Sea surface temperatures • Key identifier of a changing climate. • Non El Nino years • Coastal Peru • Winter 18 C (25 C) • Coldest tropical water on Earth • TAO array of moored buoys.

  11. TAO array of moored buoys

  12. Important subsurface currents • Equatorial Undercurrent • The Peru surface current and equatorial upwelling.

  13. Upwelling along western coast of South America • Influx of Antarctic water, August (winter). • Brings nutrients to the surface • Producing abundant diversity • Plankton • Anchovies • Tuna • Sea birds • Marine mammals

  14. Cool dry air sinks Warm moist air rises Indonesia South America

  15. El Nino phenomenon leads to dramatic changes • Starts with: Failure of southern trade winds around December • Warming of the ocean off Peru • Decrease in bio-productivity off Peru • Increase in eastern Pacific rainfall • Decrease in western Pacific rainfall • Development of winds from the west

  16. NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

  17. El-Nino History • Approx. 5,000 years ago the cycle begins • Recurrence interval, 2 to 7 years • Over the past 465 years, there have been 9 severe El-Nino events. (Avg. 1 event per 50 years)

  18. El-Nino Bi-products • Flooding in South America (Peru) • Drought/wildfires in Indonesia and Australia • Variable effects throughout the United States.

  19. Ecuador

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