El Nino

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Anyone studying AS Geography Edexcel
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Flashcards by sunnysky933, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by sunnysky933 over 10 years ago
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Question Answer
What was the cost of damages in Peru during the 1997-1998? £700 billion
How many times did floods hit Peru in 1998? Twice a week.
What effect did the mountains have on the shantytown of Acomayo. The water poured down the mountains. They funneled the water into the river, causing it to burst its banks.
How many houses were destroyed in the Ica floods? 15,000
Ho many people died in the floods? 3
Why did cholera emerge as an epidemic after the floods? After the floods, the water in the shantytown became contaminated with sewage due to the lack of improper plumbing.
How did the Perusian army help Acomayo? Standpipes and temporary shelters.
What happens to the Walker cells during an El Nino event? The Walker cells splits in two, meaning that Australia suffers from unusually high pressure.
How are sea surface temperatures affected during an El Nino event? The trade winds weaken, meaning that the thermocline evens out across the Pacific. The Humboldt current is now suppressed over the East Pacific (by the "cap" effect of the thermocline), meaning that South America experience unusually warm SSTs.
Who discovered the Southern Oscillation? Gilbert Walker
Who discovered the oceanic aspect of El Nino? Bjerknes
Who first noticed El Nino? Peruvian fishermen noticed the anomalously warm SSTs every 2-3 years around Christmas.
What is the name for the global atmospheric interactions caused by El Nino? Teleconnections
Define the term La Nina refers to colder than average SSTs in East Equatorial Pacific
Define the term El Nino refers to the event that causes warmer than usual SSTs to accumulate in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific
What effect does the deeper thermocline have on the Eastern Equatorial Pacific? Limits the amount of nutrient-rich, cold water allowed to the surface during upwelling processes (of the Humboldt current)
How can El Nino events be monitored? 1)Satellite (for the oceanic aspect) 2)Tropical Atmosphere Ocean buoy (TAO) measures SSTs 3) analyze sea levels
How does El Nino cause starvation amongst sea birds? When the cold water is not allowed to reach the surface, the phytoplankton do not grow, meaning that the birds have less food during the breeding season
When was the longest El Nino event in history recorded? 1990-1994
What is the Southern Oscillation Index? An index that has been devleoped to compare the sea level atmosphere pressures at Darwin and Tahiti
How was the 1997-1998 El Nino event predicted? Using records, computer models and satellites
How many cases of cholera were reported in the Piura region during 1997-1998? 30,000
How many people were killed in the hamlet of Motse? 10 out of only 150
What is the ENSO? The El Nino Southern Oscillation refers to the series of linked oceanic and atmospheric phenomena
What is the Oceanic Nino Index Index which measures the deviations in SSTs. La Niña events are indicated by sea-surface temperature decreases of more than .5 degrees Celsius for at least 5 successive 3 month seasons.
What causes a La Nina event. The trade winds strengthen in intensity, meaning that the warmer thermocline is blown towards the Western Equatorial Pacific. This "moves" any warm surface water from the East towards western regions such as Australia and Indonesia.
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