El nino
El nino is a change in the water temperature in the pacific ocean that produces a warm current. Every 2-12 years El Nino occurs, bringing the warm surface current temperatures from along the coast of south america to spread westward. El Nino can last for a year or longer. This effects the changes in the atmosphere, ocean life, global weather patterns, and may cause disasters. El nino may cause mudslides, flash floods, and droughts in mostly the US and Peru. During el Nino, upwelling does no take place. Therefore, the organisms in the area die of not having the right nutrients and then the animals that eat those animals die and so on. One way scientist collect data from El Nino is through the network of buoys. These buoys are located in the ocean along the equator. They record data about the temperature, currents, and wind speeds in the area in case of an El Nino. When the temperatures in the tropics have risen, they know an El Nino is likely to occur. El Nino is a dramatic change in our oceans every 2-12 years.