ENSO - El Nino

An SST anomaly is ...

• a departure from average conditions in sea surface pressure.
• a departure from average conditions in sea surface temperature.
• the average of a decade of sea surface temperatures.
• the average of sea surface temperatures during an El Niño year.

The El Niño is caused by

• cold water off the Atlantic coast of South America
• warm water in the Pacific off the coast of South America
• warm water in the Pacific off the coast of Mexico
• cold water in the Pacific off the coast of Mexico

The El Niño will cause what kind of winter weather in the southern US?

• colder and drier than normal
• colder and wetter than normal
• warmer and wetter than normal
• no difference, because it happens in the Pacific ocean

What causes La Nina?

• cooling of water in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South America
• cooling water off the Atlantic coast of the US
• cooling water in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America
• warm water in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America

El Niño occurs when the tropical ocean waters are warmer in which ocean?

• Atlantic
• Indian
• Pacific
• Arctic

ENSO stands for

• Eh! Not So Observant
• En Niño Southern Oscillation
• El Niño Salinity Observation
• El Niño Southwestern Oscars

During an El Niño, it rains

• in the central and eastern Pacific.
• in the northern Pacific.
• in the western Pacific.
• in all of the Pacific.

The thermocline of the Western Pacific is down-welled during a(n)

• non-ENSO event
• El Niño
• La Niña

One consequence of El Niño is _______ in Southeast Asia.

• stronger Trade Winds
• flooding
• strong winter storms
• drought

One consequence of El Niño is _______ on the US West Coast

• stronger Trade Winds
• flooding
• strong winter storms
• drought