El Niño Effects Short Answer

This passage explains the El Niño phenomenon and how it influences global weather patterns. It details how changes in the Pacific Ocean’s sea surface temperatures during El Niño affect jet streams and cause extreme weather events, including droughts and floods. The passage describes the ENSO cycle, which alternates between El Niño, neutral, and La Niña phases. The unpredictable nature of El Niño makes it a critical factor in understanding global climate variability.

Studying complex phenomena like El Niño helps students improve their ability to analyze cause-and-effect relationships. This passage enhances their critical thinking by requiring them to follow a sequence of natural events and understand their broad implications. It enriches scientific vocabulary, while improving students’ comprehension of technical subjects. The well-organized explanation also models effective expository writing, which students can emulate in their own writing tasks.