Definitions: El Niño - Unusually warm surface water temperatures in the Pacific ocean caused by...

Definitions:

El Niño - Unusually warm surface water temperatures in the Pacific ocean caused by weak or reversed direction trade winds.

La Niña - Unusually cold surface water temperatures in the Pacific ocean caused by strong easterly trade winds.

Strange phenomenon occur during an El Niño and

La Niña like...

Strange phenomenon occur during an El Niño and

La Niña like...

Brush fires caused by drought in Texas (La Niña)

Increased Tropical Storms (La Niña)

Hurricane Floyd was HUGE! (1999 - La Niña)

Causing devastating floods in Australia (2010-2011 La

Niña)

Peruvian anchovy populations declined (El

Niño)

Surface Ocean Currents

Currents that are controlled by the wind. ~¼ mile depth, 10%

Normal Condition

Equatorial winds gather warm water pool toward the west. Cold water upwells along the coast of Peru.

Strong upwelling

El Nino

Surface current reversed, pushing warm water toward the coast of Peru.The absence of cold upwelling increases warming.

La Nina

Warm water is farther west than usual, causing a strong upwelling of cold water in the Eastern Pacific

NOAA drifting buoys

Measures...temperatur

ecurrentswinds

Satellites

Instruments on satellites measure wind, waves, temperature of the sea surface, ocean color, ocean surface currents, and tides.

Where they monitor…

Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR5VPAqVQBw    El Nino explanation video  3min

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEAv-9TZktY   La Nina

explanation video  3.5min   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWTucpsClLc  Austin newscast in

January talking about Australia flooding  2min   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5x8dJ57xkk  Texas weatherman

predictions for this year from July 2010.   about 3min   http://esminfo.prenhall.com/science/geoanimations/animations/

26_NinoNina.html    All three animations