El Niño and La Niña Effects

What kind of weather events are becoming more frequent globally?

• Mild and predictable weather

• Extreme weather

• Consistent seasonal changes

• Stable atmospheric conditions

What are El Niño and La Niña considered to be?

• Types of ocean currents

• Opposite states of a major climate process

• Seasonal wind patterns

• Forms of atmospheric pollution

What does ENSO stand for?

• Eastern Northern Sea Oscillation

• El Niño-Southern Oscillation

• Equatorial Northern Storm Origin

• Environmental Natural System Observation

Who first observed periods of unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean around Christmas?

• European explorers

• Peruvian fishermen

• Australian meteorologists

• Tahitian sailors

What atmospheric phenomenon was linked to El Niño in the 1960s?

• The Jet Stream

• The Southern Oscillation

• The North Atlantic Oscillation

• The Indian Ocean Dipole

How many different states does ENSO have?

• Two

• Three

• Four

• Five

What two factors are primarily measured to understand ENSO?

• Air humidity and cloud cover

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric pressure

• Ocean salinity and current speed

• Wind direction and precipitation levels

In the neutral phase, in which direction do trade winds move warm surface water across the Pacific Ocean?

• From west to east

• From east to west

• From north to south

• From south to north

What process brings cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface in the eastern Pacific during a neutral phase?

• Downwelling

• Upwelling

• Convection

• Evaporation

What happens when neutral ENSO conditions are broken and intense El Niño or La Niña states occur?

• Global temperatures stabilize

• The world is more likely to experience extreme weather

• Ocean currents become weaker

• Atmospheric pressure remains constant