El Niño and La Niña Climate Patterns
An 11th-grade science worksheet exploring the causes, characteristics, and global impacts of El Niño and La Niña climate phenomena.
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El Niño and La Niña Climate Patterns
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Read each question carefully and provide your best answer based on your understanding of El Niño and La Niña climate phenomena. Use complete sentences where appropriate.
1. Which of the following best describes the primary cause of El Niño?
Strengthening of trade winds and cooler Pacific waters.
Weakening of trade winds and warmer Pacific waters.
Increased upwelling of cold, deep ocean water.
A decrease in atmospheric pressure over the western Pacific.
2. During a La Niña event, what typically happens to the sea surface temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean?
They become significantly warmer than average.
They become significantly cooler than average.
They remain near average, with no significant change.
They fluctuate rapidly between warm and cool.
1. El Niño typically brings wetter conditions to the southern United States.
True
False
2. La Niña is associated with an increase in Atlantic hurricane activity.
True
False
1. During an El Niño event, the winds across the equatorial Pacific weaken or even reverse.
2. The phenomenon of cold, nutrient-rich water rising to the surface, which is suppressed during El Niño, is called .
3. La Niña is often characterized by stronger than average winds.
1. Briefly explain how El Niño impacts global weather patterns, providing at least two specific examples.
2. Compare and contrast the oceanic and atmospheric conditions during El Niño and La Niña events.
Match the climate phenomenon with its characteristic effect.
1. El Niño
a. Increased upwelling in the eastern Pacific
2. La Niña
b. Warmer than average sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific
3. Neutral Phase
c. Stronger than average trade winds
4. Southern Oscillation
d. Average ocean temperatures and atmospheric pressure
5. Walker Circulation
e. Atmospheric pressure seesaw between the eastern and western Pacific
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