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Summary of Article
Every two to seven years, a phenomenon called El Niño occurs in the Pacific Ocean,
disrupting weather patterns around the world. It's not entirely clear why this occurs,
but the effects are usually substantial. Some typical effects are rising ocean
temperatures, floods, severe storms, and droughts. This article discusses what El Niño
is, what causes it, and how scientists measure the phenomenon. The article also
compares four different El Niños from the 20th century and talks about the 1997-98
El Niño. It also suggests steps that can be taken for protection
against some El Niño weather.
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Suggested
Age/Grade Levels
Age Level: 12 - 18
Grade Level: 6th grade - 12th grade
Related Topics
Earth Science
Discuss how El Niño affects the Earth.
Oceanography
Discuss what impact El Niño has on ocean life,
currents, distribution of thermal energy, salinity, and
related elements.
Weather and Climate
Discuss the impact of El Niño on the Earth's atmosphere,
including weather patterns, temperature, rainfall, distribution
of heat, winds, and related atmospheric elements.
Human Geography
Discuss the impact of El Niño on humans and their activities.
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Objectives
After studying the article, students should be able to:
- Define how ocean circulation patterns change during an El Niño year.
- Identify where El Niño occurs in the ocean.
- Name three possible side effects of an El Niño
- Discuss how an increase in sea surface temperatures (SST) can cause.
major problems around the world. Give two examples of these problems.
- Explain what the term El Niño means and why it has this particular name.
- Describe, in general, how data is collected for an El Niño.
- Name two reasons why scientists are worried about the El Niño of 1997-98.
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Classroom Activities
Activity coming soon!
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Questions
for Discussion
Q: Where does El Niño occur and who does it affect?
A: El Niño occurs in the southern Pacific Ocean. It can affect
everyone on the planet since it can disrupt global weather patterns.
Q: Can you describe how buoys in the ocean collect data
about El Niño? What kind of data can buoys collect?
A: The buoys send signals to satellites, which relay the data to scientists
who are studying El Niño. Buoys can collect information about sea levels and
sea surface temperatures.
Q: Can you think of any other negative effects of an El Niño?
A: Economic problems can be a result of El Niño due to crop
destruction, loss of life, and destruction of homes and other buildings.
Q: Name one way farmers could prepare for an El Niño year.
A: Farmers can plan for an El Niño year by planting certain crops,
such as rice, that can withstand heavy rainy periods.
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Quiz
Click here for an
El Niño quiz.
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El Niño teacher's guide.
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Just the Facts
An El Niño can have long-term effects, although it lasts for less than a year.
The El Niño phenomenon occurs every two to seven years.
There is no sure way to predict what will happen in an El Niño year.
Scientists base their predictions on what occurred during past El Niños.
The true cause of El Niños is not yet known.
The opposite of an El Niño year is a La Niña year (the feminine
translation of 'the Child'). La Niña drives warm surface waters westward,
drawing cold water to the surface in the east. Both disrupt ocean circulation patterns and
can affect agriculture and the fishing industry.
Water expands as temperatures increase. During an El Niño, the heated
surface water can expand over an enormous area. For example, the TOPEX/Poseidon
satellite detected a six- to eight-inch increase in ocean levels over an area the
size of a continent.
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Links
to Relevant Web Sites and Additional Resources
http://observe.ivv.nasa.gov/nasa/earth/el_nino/elnino11.html
*Page will open in a new window.
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Vocabulary
El Niño: a transient, periodic warming of the equatorial
eastern Pacific Ocean associated with fishery depletion and
large-scale climatic fluctuations; occurs every
two to seven years.
southern oscillation: reversal of atmospheric circulation patterns in the tropical Pacific
Ocean that triggers the development of an El Niño.
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For Fun
Just for fun, play our
El Niño Wordsearch game.
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El Niño teacher's guide.
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