Question

1. economic impacts

a. explain how upwelling on the eastern pacific is affected by el niño.
b. explain how this affects marine life.

Explanation:

a. During El Niño, the trade - winds weaken in the Eastern Pacific. This reduces the force that drives upwelling. Upwelling is the process by which cold, nutrient - rich water from the deep ocean rises to the surface. With weaker trade - winds, upwelling is suppressed, leading to less cold water rising and fewer nutrients being brought to the surface.
b. The suppression of upwelling affects marine life as the reduced upwelling means less nutrients are available at the surface. Phytoplankton, which form the base of the marine food web, rely on these nutrients for growth. With fewer nutrients, phytoplankton populations decline. This then has a cascading effect on other marine organisms that depend on phytoplankton directly or indirectly for food, such as zooplankton, fish, and seabirds.

Answer:

a. During El Niño, trade - winds weaken, suppressing upwelling in the Eastern Pacific as the force driving the rise of cold, nutrient - rich water is reduced.
b. Suppressed upwelling leads to fewer nutrients for phytoplankton, causing their populations to decline and having a cascading negative effect on the entire marine food web.