What Effects Do Ocean Currents Have on Arizona Climate?
Tree overlooking the Grand Canyon in Arizona image by Pierre Krahn from Fotolia.com jQuery(document).ready(function(){ jQuery(‘#jsArticleStep1 span.image a:first’).attr(‘href’,’http://i.ehow.com/images/a06/0r/gk/effects-ocean-currents-arizona-climate_-1.1-800X800.jpg’); }); Arizona is not just hot and dry; humid and dramatic. The climate and seasons in Arizona are controlled primarily by what is called a semi-permanent subtropical high-pressure circulation–warm air that travels north from the equatorial area and “sits” over most of the state most of the year. Big fronts–born over the Pacific Ocean, Sea of Cortez and Gulf of Mexico, and modified as they pass over landmasses between these bodies of water and the state of Arizona–push this high pressure as they roll through; when it pushes back, weather happens. Dry, Hot Season (Spring and Summer) Referred to as El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), this weather pattern–caused by superheated equatorial waters of the Pacific–moves mois
