By: Frank Minervini
Science
Mr. Shepard
El Niño, La Niña
•
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El Niño and La Niña are complex weather patterns resulting from
variations in ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific.
El Niño and La Niña are opposite phases of what is known as the El
Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle.
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ninonina.html
Researched on May 10th 2012
Conditions of El Niño, La Niño
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El Niño causes, Rain and flooding along the Pacific coast .Warm
water disrupts food chain of fish, birds, and sea mammals.
Tornadoes and thunderstorms in southern US. Fewer than normal
hurricanes in the Atlantic.
• La Niño Snow and rain on the west coast. Unusually cold weather in
Alaska. Unusually warm weather in the rest of the USA. Drought in
the southwest. Higher than normal number of hurricanes in the
Atlantic
Research: http://library.thinkquest.org/5818/elnino.html
Picture: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ninonina.html On May 11, 2012
Time Period of El Nino, La Nina
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El Niño and La Niña occur on average every 3 to 5 years. However,
in the historical record the interval between events has varied from 2
to 7 years.
Research:
http://geography.about.com/od/globalproblemsandissues/a/elninolanina.htm
Picture: niltimbadia.blogspot.com On May 14, 2012
EL Niño, La Niña phenomenon's
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El Nino takes place when warmer than usual sea water exists off the coast
of South America. El Nino causes climate effects around the world.
• According to the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, this
century's previous La Niñas began in 1903, 1906, 1909, 1916, 1924,
1928, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1964, 1970, 1973, 1975, 1988, and 1995.
These events typically continued into the following spring. Since
1975, La Niñas have been only half as frequent as El Niños
Research:
http://geography.about.com/od/globalproblemsandissues/a/elninolanina.htm
On May 14, 2012
Damage from EL Niño, La Niño
• The El Niño of 1997/98 saw drought wipe out two thirds of Fiji’s new
sugar cane plantings. Tonga’s squash exports were reduced to more
than half.
• El Niño induced cyclones, severely damaging its squash industry,
already reeling from drought. In December 2001 a damaging
cyclone also hit Tonga.
Research :
http://www.bom.gov.au/pacificsealevel/pdf/Elnino_and_La_Nina.pdf
Picture:drpinna.com/the-el-nino-and-la-nina-brother-and-sister-act-18938 On May 14,
2012
Fun facts
• "El Niño" is Spanish for "the boy child," and is used to refer to the
Baby Jesus.
• The name La Niña ("the girl child") was coined to deliberately
represent the opposite of El Niño.
Research:http://www.almanac.com/content/el-ni%C3%B1o-and-la-ni%C3%B1