Can anyone suggest reasons why an El Nino event occurs?

Question

I've got that it is an event that occur roughly every 3-8 years and that atmospheric and oceanic currents are reversed but I can't really explain how these factors change anything. If anyone can help, that would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Few processes on earth operate in isolation; areas on our planet are interconnected, which means linked to conditions elsewhere on earth. A condition, an occurrence, or a process in one place generally has an impact on other places. The exact nature of this interaction is not known. For example the presence of abnormally warm water off south Americas west coast (El Nino) seems to be related to unusual weather in other places in the world.

Answer 2

It is an extreme warming of equatorial waters in the Pacific Ocean that wrecks havoc with world weather conditions. One has formed now and will last into 2007, according to the US National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

It moves eastward onto the United States. It prevents hurricanes from hitting the east coast of the US. I live in FL, and that is a fact. It brings more rain to FL and the Gulf Coast in the winter.

It will spark dry conditions in the Ohio valley of the US, the Pacific Northwest and most US islands in the tropical Pacific. The US Northeast is in for a milder winter this year because of it.

This El Nino has caused drier-than-average conditions across Indonesia, Malaysia and most of the Philippines.

El Nino means "little boy" in Spanish. It hits once every three years or so.

Answer 3

El Nino's occur when there is a drop in temprature in the ocean, resulting in less evaporation, so in the end less rain. Thats a simple concept of it anyhow, atmospheric and oceanic currents do change, and there is no set secquence for when they will take place or for how long, sometimes for 2 years. The opposite is a La Nina

Answer 4

It has something to do with the weather

Answer 5

http://website.lineone.net/~alex.meaden/essays/elnino.htm