Question

el nino & la nina webquest
answer the following pre-questions before we start the webquest.

1. what do you think the \el niño\ weather pattern is?
2. what is the impact on people and wildlife from el niño events?

Explanation:

Question 1

El Niño is a climate pattern where the surface waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean become unusually warm. It occurs periodically and disrupts normal weather patterns globally, often causing droughts in some regions (like Australia) and heavy rainfall/floods in others (like South America's west coast).

• On People:
• Agriculture: El Niño can cause droughts in regions like Southeast Asia, reducing crop yields (e.g., rice, corn), leading to food shortages and higher food prices. In South America, heavy rains can flood farmlands, destroying crops.
• Health: Increased rainfall in some areas can lead to water - borne diseases (e.g., cholera, malaria) due to stagnant water and more breeding grounds for disease - carrying vectors like mosquitoes. Droughts can lead to water shortages, affecting hygiene and increasing the risk of dehydration - related illnesses.
• Infrastructure: Heavy rains and floods can damage roads, bridges, and buildings, disrupting transportation and access to essential services. Droughts can cause water supply systems to fail.
• On Wildlife:
• Marine Life: The warm waters of El Niño can reduce the upwelling of nutrient - rich cold water in the eastern Pacific. This leads to a decline in phytoplankton, which is the base of the marine food chain. As a result, fish populations (like anchovies) decline, affecting species that rely on them, such as sea birds (e.g., Galapagos penguins) which may face food shortages and reduced breeding success.
• Terrestrial Wildlife: Droughts can lead to reduced vegetation, affecting herbivores' food supply. For example, in African savannas, droughts during El Niño can cause grasslands to wither, affecting grazing animals like zebras and wildebeests. Floods can displace terrestrial animals, destroy their habitats, and increase the risk of drowning or exposure to new predators.

Answer:

El Niño is a climate pattern with warmer - than - usual surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean, disrupting global weather (e.g., causing droughts in some areas and heavy rains/floods in others).

Question 2