Meteorology
El Nino & La Nina Project
El Nino & La Nina Project
Objective: Students will research El Nino and La Nina, and identify the impacts it has on various
regions or countries.
Basic Guidelines:
 Students will work in partners of two to three. Each group will receive a country, and
research the effects of El Nino and La Nina.
 Each group will give an oral presentation of research (10 minutes).
 Each group will turn in a PowerPoint of their research.
 Each individual grade will be based on group grade, excluding participation and a post
research reflection.
 Each individual student will write a reflection of activity.
Countries:
 United States (Southwest)
 North America (Northwest)
 United States (Gulf Coast)
 Indonesia & Southeast Asia
 Peru & Ecuador
 Eastern and Southern Africa
Questions to Answer:
1. Country
2. What is El Nino?
3. What is La Nina?
4. When does El Nino occur?
5. When does La Nina occur?
6. What years have El Nino occurred?
7. What years have La Nina Occurred?
8. What is the normal average sea temperature of the Pacific Ocean?
9. What is the average sea surface temperature of the eastern Pacific during an El
Nino and La Nina event?
10. What is the normal average Temperatures for your country or region?
11. What is the average temperature of your country during an El Nino and La Nina
Event?
12. What is your country’s or region’s average precipitation?
13. How much rainfall did your country/region receive during their El Nino and La
Nina events?
14. Describe the normal climate of your country/region (dry, wet, cold, hot, etc.).
15. Describe the climate of your country during an El Nino and a La Nina event (dry,
wet, cool, warm etc.).
16. List and describe any disasters that occurred during an El Nino and La Nina event.
(Include: type of disaster, death total, cost of disaster, etc.).
17. How was your country’s/region’s economy impacted by El Nino and La Nina
events? (Include any information on agricultural, fishing, etc).
18. Final connections; does your group believe that El Nino and La Nina is solely
responsible for country/region climate change, disaster events, and economic
impacts. Either way defend your case. You must have evidence to back up why
El Nino and La Nina have impacted that country or region.
Credible Websites and Good Links to get you started:
1. http://www.weatherexplained.com/Vol-1/El-Ni-o-La-Ni-a.html - b
2. http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/science/elninopdo/elnino/
3. http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/lanina.html
4. http://ggweather.com/enso/oni.htm
5. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/elnino/mainpage.html
6. http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/ushurrlist.htm
7. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/DroughtFacts/
8. http://www.theglobaleducationproject.org/earth/fisheries-and-aquaculture.php
9. http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/enso//enso.different.html
10. http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st1/commercial/landings/monthly_landings.html
11. http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/
12. http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/elnino/report/figure22.html
13. http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/elnino/la-nina-anomaly.html
14. http://www.atmos.washington.edu/gcg/RTN/rtnt.html
15. http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/pandemic_1918_1919.html
16. http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Landsea/elnino/
17. http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/elnino/report/el-nino-report.html#part2
http://www.oar.noaa.gov/k12/html/elnino2.html