Main hydrological impacts of ENSO in the Central Andes

Main hydrological impacts of ENSO in the Central Andes ENSO (El Nio Southern Oscillation) is a weather phenomenon that depends on sea surface temperature and thermal gradient between the east and west of the pacific ocean.

During the Pleistocene (a geological epoch) the strenght of ENSO was smaller than these days.

Impacts of ENSO:

In the coast, this high precipitation event increase growth of all species in Tumbes Piura dry forests; in the other hand, this weather phenomenon affects negatively the most productive marine ecosystem Worldwide (disrupts The Humbolt Current).

During El Nio, dry westerly winds dominates in the Andes; these dry winds produces drought in all the region. Furthermore, glaciers melt very rapidly during extreme El Nio years.