What is El Nio?
Again, this is one of those “you gotta enroll in a Pierce Meteorology course to get the answer” questions due to its complexity. But here’s the gist of the processes behind it… El Nio is simple physics with complex outcomes. Energy goes from where it is to where it isn’t in the direction of least resistance. With that said, let’s look at the mechanics of the system. First, let’s understand that ocean currents are only little sections of a single ocean gyre. A gyre is mainly fueled by the Coriolis Effect (it’s not actually a force). In simple terms, it is a clockwise circulation of water (in the Pacific in this case) in the northern hemisphere, and a counterclockwise circulation of water in the southern hemisphere. These two circulations meet at the equator where they both go in the same direction from east to west. This section of the two gyres is commonly called the Equatorial Current. At the equator, the sun strikes Earth at a right angle twice a year.
Again, this is one of those “you gotta enroll in a Pierce Meteorology course to get the answer” questions due to its complexity. But here’s the gist of the processes behind it… El Nio is simple physics with complex outcomes. Energy goes from where it is to where it isn’t in the direction of least resistance. With that said, let’s look at the mechanics of the system. First, let’s understand that ocean currents are only little sections of a single ocean gyre. A gyre is mainly fueled by the Coriolis Effect (it’s not actually a force). In simple terms, it is a clockwise circulation of water (in the Pacific in this case) in the northern hemisphere, and a counterclockwise circulation of water in the southern hemisphere. These two circulations meet at the equator where they both go in the same direction from east to west. This section of the two gyres is commonly called the Equatorial Current. At the equator, the sun strikes Earth at a right angle twice a year. At that angle the solar radia
