El Nino Southern Oscillation - Essay Sample

Introduction

The El Nino Southern Oscillation is an episodic change sea surface temperatures and winds over the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean affecting regions within areas around the equator and climate zones between the tropic of cancer and Capricorn. It consists of two phases; the Elnino and La Nina, the latter refers to the cooling period while the former refers to the warmer phase. Further details on the occurrence are provided below

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Discussion

El Nino features higher air surface pressure and an increase in temperatures of ocean surfaces resulting in above -average sea-surface temperature in the tropical Pacific. The interaction between large water bodies and the atmosphere shapes the occurrence of the Southern Oscillation. The SO occurs as a result of pressure differences between the western Pacific and the Eastern Pacific; during El Nino, sea level pressure tends to be higher in the west Pacific and lower in the Eastern, and the opposite is exact during La Nina.

The effect of El Nino extends to areas such as Indonesia where it reduces rainfall unlike in the tropical Pacific Ocean where it increases. Also, the periodic change in wind and ocean surface temperature is characterized by low-level surface winds, the easterly winds, and the westerly winds. On the other hand, , reveals that La Nina is a cooling of subsurface ocean temperature resulting to an increase in rainfall in some areas such as Indonesia which experiences a different occurrence from the central tropical Pacific Ocean where there is lesser rainfall. Also, during la Nina, winds blowing from east to west along the equator become even stronger. ENSO also features a blend of El Nino and La Nina, in neutral occurrences where tropical areas experience weather conditions in which the seas and oceans appear to be in both (El Nino and La Nina) state.

ENSO affects global warming, precipitation, winds and, and corals. Elnino years are generally much safer as it favors a shift in tropical cyclone activities resulting in minor occurrences of storms which are devastating. On coral bleaching, El Nino and its increasing temperatures of sea waters cause the expulsion of algae from coral polyps affecting the life of the coral which is usually in a symbiotic relationship with algae that provides 90% of energy. Studies on ENSO link it to global warming as a result of short-term spikes in surface temperatures. Besides that, the ENSO concept accelerates trade winds in between Mexico and Guatemala as a result of a developing cold front causing a violent mountain gap winds which on rare occasions reach 100knots.

Conclusion

It is clear that the ElNISO concept affects weather through its influence on winds and the occurrence of rainfall; nonetheless, it is linked to global warming as a result of short-term spikes in surface temperatures.