El Nino, La nina, and the ever lasting climate change By: Cheyann Beck

El Nino A weather pattern that occurs over the equator to the west of South America. Causing unusually warm water and temperatures. * Since El Nino occurred around Christmas time fishermen named it El Nino de Navidad; which means the Christ child. El Nino means boy in spanish. *

What Happens ? Trade winds that can go east or stay still causing the water near the equator to become very warm.

Where and When El Nino takes place over the equator, often to the west of South America, but it is felt around the world. It usually takes place around Christmas time, but can lasting for up to a year.

Danger and Effects The effects of El Nino can be huge or none at all. Some effects can be... Drought, which can happen in places near the equator and sometimes in the southern U.S. Big waves and changes in currents. Heavy rain, which can happen anywhere, but is very common in the western U.S. and South America. The heavy rain also can lead to major flooding. The effects can also be as big as tornadoes and hurricanes. The warm water can cause a warmer climate. Depending on how extreme El Nino is a particular year, it could cause lots of destructive effects. * In 1982-1983 a big El Nino occurred, causing extreme flooding in California

* La Nina means girl in Spanish. A weather pattern that occurs in the same spot as El Nino that brings extremely cold water and temperatures. * La Nina means girl in Spanish.

What Happens? The trade winds that push el nino's warm water, bring the water from the east to the west. Once the warm water is gone the cold water underneath comes up taking the warm water's place.

Where and When La Nina occurs over the equator, but it's effects are also felt around the world. It usually occurs in the winter when the warm water has gone and it can last for up to a year.

Danger and Effects The effects of La Nina are often similar to El Nino. La Nina can cause lots of rain or extreme drought, which can then lead to big storms and flooding. La Nina causes big winter storms and blizzards, which can be destructive. It can also cause a change in the climate causing unusually cold temperatures and can change the jet stream with all the trade winds. Though depending on how powerful La Nina is, there could only be small effects or none at all. * In 1997-98 another big El Nino occurred followed by a big La Nina in 1998-99 which caused lots of blizzards across the U.S.

When will it Happen? If El Nino or La Nina is going to happen, there are certain weather patterns that scientists look for to identify the event. Though scientists still don't know why the events of El Nino and La Nina take place. Effects of both weather events can sometimes be predicted depending on what they are. If there was a strong El Nino or La Nina many different effects from blizzards to droughts can be expected. Safety precautions can be made for effects of each event but there are no precautions to be made for the event itself. * El Nino and La Nina only occur every 2 to 7 years.

Big Waves El Nino can also be a cause of big waves, this is because when El Nino occurs there are a lot of heavy winds that create larger then normal waves. El Nino creates big storms which is another cause of big waves.In extreme El Nino years like 1997-98 there were waves as high as 48ft off some coasts. Some of the biggest waves are off the coast of California and Hawaii.

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