It seems that an el Nino event is likely in the eastern Pacific this year. El Ninos begin with a warming of waters off the north west coast of South America. However, El Niño periods are more than just a warming of the eastern tropical Pacific. The entire tropical Pacific ocean-atmosphere system is stirred up by them and extreme weather events including drought and flooding can affect areas all around the Pacific Ocean. The BBC website is currently carrying an article - El Nino sparks weather fears -about the recent rise in ocean temperatures and if you click on the image above, you will link to another article by US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration about el Nino.
El Nino events usually last about a year and peak in the northern hemisphere winter. There is a good guide to el Nino on the BBC Weather pages. Click on the map above to link to them.
Although we won't be studying the Atmosphere section of the Higher course until after Christmas, knowledge of el Nino would be a useful case study for climate change so it would do no harm to read about it now and take a few notes!
