El Niño
Definition
El Niño is a climate pattern characterized by warmer-than-normal ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, which can cause significant changes in weather patterns worldwide.
Analogy
Imagine El Niño as a giant heat wave spreading across the Pacific Ocean. Just like how extreme heat can disrupt normal weather patterns, El Niño disrupts the usual climate conditions.
Related terms
La Niña: The opposite of El Niño, characterized by cooler-than-normal ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
Climate Change: Long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns caused by human activities, which can interact with natural climate phenomena like El Niño.
Drought: A prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall that can be influenced by El Niño events.
"El Niño" appears in:
Study guides (2)
Additional resources (1)
Practice Questions (14)
What is El Niño?
What happens to the thermocline during El Niño?
What are the impacts of El Niño on the West Coast of the United States?
How does La Niña differ from El Niño?
What are the environmental impacts of El Niño and La Niña?
How often does El Niño occur?
Which of the following is a characteristic of El Niño events?
What is the relationship between El Niño and hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean?
How does El Niño impact fisheries in the Pacific Ocean?
What is the primary cause of El Niño and La Niña events?
Which of the following statements is true about El Niño and La Niña?
Which region typically experiences higher precipitation during El Niño events?
How does El Niño impact the weather in the southeastern United States?
What environmental impacts can be caused by El Niño and La Niña?
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