Warm Water Currents & Climate Cold Water Currents & Climate Explain how warm water currents affect climate. warm water currents carries warm water from the tropics toward the poles and warms the air above influencing the climate of the land near the coast. Draw a picture here. Explain how cold water currents affect climate. cold water currents carries cold water toward the equator and cools the air above influencing the climate of the land near the coast Upwelling & Climate El Nino & La Nina What is upwelling? the movement of deep cold, and nutrient-rich water to the surface What causes upwelling? caused by surface currents that replace warm water with deep, cold, water Why is upwelling important? because the nutrients support growth of organisms What can disrupt upwelling? El Nino disrupts upwelling by not producing nutrient-rich water. Why is this a problem? it affects the organisms that depend on the nutrients for food. What is El Nino? a change in the water temperature in the Pacific Ocean that produces a warm current What is La Nina? a change in the eastern Pacific Ocean in which the surface water temperature becomes unusually cool What are the effects of El Nino on climate? changes global weather patterns How is data collected on El Nino? through a network of buoys that are anchored to the ocean floor along the Earth’s equator. The buoys recorded data about surface temperature, air temperature, currents and winds. When the buoys report that the South Pacific trade winds are not as strong as they usually are or that the surface temperatures of the tropical ocean have risen then scientist can predict EL Nino. Surface Currents & Climate Ch 14 Section 2