El Niño

              I learned that El Niño is defined by prolonged differences in Pacific Ocean Sea surface temperatures when compared with the average value. The accepted definition is a warming or cooling of at least 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) averaged over the east-central tropical Pacific Ocean. Typically, this anomaly happens at irregular intervals of 3–7 years and lasts nine months to two years.^[5] The average period length is 5 years. When this warming occurs for only seven to nine months, it is classified as El Niño"conditions"; when it occurs for more than that period, it is classified as El Niño.

The signs of an El Niño are:

1. Rise in surface pressure over the Indian Ocean, Indonesia, and Australia
2. Fall in air pressure over Tahiti and the rest of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean
3. Trade winds in the south Pacific weaken or head east
4. Warm air rises near Peru, causing rain in the northern Peruvian deserts
5. Warm water spreads from the west Pacific and the Indian Ocean to the east Pacific. It takes the rain with it, causing extensive drought in the western Pacific and rainfall in the normally dry eastern Pacific.

El Niño's warm rush of nutrient-poor tropical water, heated by its eastward passage in the Equatorial Current, replaces the cold, nutrient-rich surface water of the Humboldt Current(a cold, low-salinity ocean current that flows north-westward along the west coast of South America from the southern tip of Chile to northern Peru). When El Niño conditions last for many months, extensive ocean warming and the reduction in Easterly Trade winds limits upwelling of cold nutrient-rich deep water and its economic impact to local fishing for an international market can be serious.

El Niño occurrence

              I want to know more about all of the effects of this phenomenon especially on the economical status of the Philippines and how to be aware of this.

             I would like to research on how satellites monitor the occurrence of an El Niño.

             I appreciate the fact that it is us, humans the major cause of the occurrence of this phenomenon because of the green house effect that we humans are the producer.

             I can apply my learnings and insight to promote the conservation of the nature because it is very useful in minimizing the amount of green house gases.