El Niño and La NiñaBy Gilda Rodrigues

Physical Geography 110Professor Schmidt

El Niño• El niño is a periodic

atmospheric and oceanic phenomenon of the tropical Pacific that typically involves the weakening or reversal of the trade winds and the warming of the surface water off the west coast of South America (Hess G-3).

• It occurs every two to seven years.

• The name El Niño was given to the phenomenon because it always appears around Christmas. El Niño means the “little boy’ or “Christ child” in Spanish.

La Niña• La Niña is the opposite of

el Niño. It is an atmospheric and oceanic phenomenon that cools the surface waters on the west coast of south America.

• La Niña lasts longer than El Niño

• La Niña means “The Little Girl” in Spanish

El Niño Phenomenon• Lasts approximately 9-12

months

• Easterly trade winds diminish

• Warmer waters in the Tropical Pacific

• Brings drought to Australia and Indonesia

• Intense rain to Western South and North America

La Niña Phenomenon• Colder waters in the

tropical Pacific

• Easterly trade winds strengthen

• More rain than normal in Australia and Indonesia

• Half as frequent as El Niño

• Occurs every 3-4 years• Last approximately 3-4

years

Where is it or where is happening?

• El Niño and La Niña originate in the Tropical Pacific Ocean

• El Niño is currently developing in the Tropical Pacific Ocean

• El Niño will be affecting California and the west coasts of South America and North America, bringing heavy rain

• Australia and Indonesia will experience a drought period due to El Niño

How does El Niño affect life on Earth?

• World Wide

• Changes the atmospheric circulation

• Raises coastal temperatures

• Affects many species that don't survive an increase in temperature

• South Eastern Asia

Scarce rains

Ocean cools

Low formation of clouds

Dry periods and high atmospheric pressure

• South America

• Heavy rains

• Fishery losses

• Warming of Peru and Humboldt currents

• High formation of clouds

• Very humid period

• Low atmospheric pressure

El Niño and La Niña problems

• Too much rain to some regions• long periods of drought to other regions• floods• mudslides• changes in atmospheric pressure• change in velocity of winds• change in wind direction• climate alterations in storms,tornados and

hurricanes• deseases• property damages• death of species due to change in ocean

temperature

SolutionsWays to Reduce the Damages of El Niño/La Niña

• Prevention• Develop natural disaster plans — reduce

loss of human and animal life • Prevent floods, forest fires, mudslides and

drought

• Conclusion• El Niño and La Niña develop in the Tropical

Pacific Ocean. El Niño brings heavy rains to the western Pacific coasts. La Niña is the opposite of El Niño. El Niño is currently developing in the Tropical Pacific Ocean and it will be affecting California, North America, and South America with heavy rains, while Australia and Indonesia will experience a drought period. These phenomena cause diseases, loss of fishery, floods, mudslides, forest fires, and drought. There is no solution for El Niño and La Niña, only prevention.

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Hess, Darrel, and Tom L. McKnight. "Atmospheric Pressure And Wind." McKnight's Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation. Eleventh ed.

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2013. Print."La Niña." National Geographic Education. 11 Mar. 2011. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.

<http://education.nationalgeographic.com/encyclopedia/la-nina/>."La Niña Fact Sheet : Feature Articles." La Niña Fact Sheet : Feature Articles.

Web. 7 Oct. 2015. <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/LaNina/>."NOAA La Niña Page." NOAA La Niña Page. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.

<http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/lanina.html>."NOAA's El Niño Portal." NOAA El Niño: Research, Forecasts and Observations.

Web. 7 Oct. 2015. <http://www.elnino.noaa.gov>.Staff, By. "What Is El Niño?" LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 20 Aug. 2015.

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