Understanding El Niño and Its Impact

El Niño is part of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a meteorological cycle causing unusual weather patterns. Normally, trade winds push warm water westward in the Pacific, creating a warm pool and upwelling in the east, supporting rich fisheries. During El Niño, these winds weaken or reverse, causing warm water to move east, disrupting weather globally. This can lead to droughts in typically wet areas and floods in dry regions. While separate from global warming, El Niño can exacerbate its effects, leading to record temperatures. Scientists continue to study El Niño to better understand its impacts.

What is El Niño a part of?

• A seasonal wind pattern

• A type of ocean current

• A meteorological cycle called ENSO

• A global warming phenomenon

In a normal year, what direction do the trade winds blow across the Pacific Ocean?

• North to South

• South to North

• West to East

• East to West

What is the western warm pool?

• A collection of warm water in the eastern Pacific

• A region of warm water in the western Pacific

• A seasonal weather pattern

• A type of ocean current

Why are the Peruvian fishing grounds so productive?

• Due to the absence of predators

• Because of warm water currents

• Because of the upwelling process

• Due to the presence of coral reefs

What happens to the trade winds during an El Niño event?

• They strengthen

• They weaken or reverse

• They blow from north to south

• They remain unchanged

How does El Niño affect the weather in typically rainy regions?

• It causes more rain

• It leads to drought

• It has no effect

• It causes snow

What is a consequence of the warm pool moving east during El Niño?

• Increased fish population

• Collapse of fisheries

• More hurricanes

• Higher sea levels in the west

How can El Niño and global warming interact?

• They can amplify each other

• They have no interaction

• They cancel each other out

• They only affect the southern hemisphere

What are scientists still trying to understand about El Niño?

• The reasons behind its occurrence

• Its impact on the northern hemisphere

• Its effect on ocean currents

• Its exact impact on global warming

What is a potential result of El Niño and global warming occurring together?

• Colder global temperatures

• Some of the hottest years recorded

• Increased snowfall

• More frequent earthquakes