Then the upwelling of cold, deep ocean waters slows or stops, allowing sea surface temperatures to increase much above normal. El Niño occurs when the trade winds along the equatorial Pacific become reduced or calm for many weeks. Cold water, upwelling from deep ocean currents, provides nutrient-rich food for anchovy, the fishermen's preferred catch. ![]() Normally, strong trade winds drive ocean surface currents toward the west along the equatorial Pacific. Climate records suggest that El Niños have occurred back to the turn of the century-and probably would show it earlier before that if consistent climate data existed.įisherman off the coast of Peru have long known to expect possible changes in fishing patterns every few years, usually with the approach of December. It is now known that El Niño events can cause far-reaching global disruption in the general circulation of the Pacific Ocean and atmosphere. ![]() This warming of the ocean is also called a "teleconnection" because it affects weather in other parts of the world. DIAGRAMS show normal and El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean.
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