El Nino :: science

El NinoEl Nino has been a reoccurring phenomenon for centuries. Man has only started to realize how much of the mankinds weather is constituted by it. The term El Nino refers to an irregular warming of the seas surface. During the last 40 years there have been 10 significant El Nino occurrences. Most touching the coast of South America. Water temperatures increase along the coast as far as the Galapagos islands. Weak events will raise the water temperature 2 to 4 degrees Celsius and will have minor impact on fishing. However strong events such as the 1982-83 event will disrupt climate conditions around the world as well as local conditions. It has been linked to floods and droughts all over the world. Hurricanes and tropical storms atomic number 18 also altered in their numbers by El Nino. Therefore it would be very helpful for people if El Nino could be predicted and prepared for in some form. During a El Nino cycle there are many biological changes. Due to a depressed thermoclin e there is less photosynthetic activity resulting in a decrease in the primary conduct forms that form the beginning of the food chain. The warmer waters that are brought by these changing cycles hold less dissolved oxygen forcing fish to go deeper or venture elsewhere. Due to a lack of data during El Nino occurrences it is not fully known if fish populations are depleted solely due to icon to El Nino. A decrease in their growth and reproductive success has been observed by many surveys in coastal waters. The link between climatical effects around the world and El Nino is now well established. It has taken many years of studying to understand how the pieces of the puzzle, from ocean currents to winds and heavy rains fit together. During the mid-twenties a scientist was on assignment in India trying to predict the Asian monsoons. As he sorted through his records he discovered a data link between barometer readings at stations on the eastwardern and western sides of the Pacific. He noticed that when pressure rises in the west it usually falls in the east and vice versa. He coined this term Southern Oscillation. When it is on its high index state pressure is high on the eastern side of the Pacific and imprint on the western side (figure 1). The east west pressure contrast drives easterly surface winds.