El Niño and Video Quiz (1/11/2024)

What does the El Niño do?

It warms the Pacific Ocean

What does ENSO stand for?

El Niño-Southern Oscillation

Where does the El Niño occur?

The Pacific Ocean

Which direction do Pacific Ocean equatorial currents flow?

West or Westward

The process of bringing cooler water up to the ocean surface is called?

Upwelling

During an El Niño year, parts of North America experience what type of temperatures?

Warmer

During an El Niño year, Australia may experience what that can cause crop failure?

Drought

What is the opposite of El Niño?

La Niña

The Oceanic Niño Index needs to be 1 or higher for what?

For it to be an El Niño year

What is the engine of the whole global ocean current powered by?

Salt, some sunlight, and a little wind

What is the huge ocean current called?

The great ocean conveyor

What is a sverdrup?

The special unit that ocean scientists use to talk about the vast quantities of water going around in the oceans

What is 1 sverdrup equivalent to?

1 million cubic meters passing by per second

What is more than 9/10 of the oceans water pulled by?

The force of density

Which is more dense, hot water or cold water?

Cold water

Which is more dense, salty water or fresh water?

Salty water

What is Thermohaline Circulation?

Deep-ocean currents driven by differences in the water's density, which is controlled by temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline)

What does AMOC stand for?

Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

What does the AMOC do?

It circulates water from north to south and back in a long cycle within the Atlantic Ocean

Where is the AMOC?

In the Atlantic Ocean

What would happen if Greenland were to fully melt?

The AMOC would shut down basically turning off the deep Atlantic current

What does Low Probability, High Impact mean?

It probably not going to happen anytime soon, but on the small chance that it does it would be a massive disaster

What is the North Atlantic Cold Blob?

It’s a sign that cold water isn’t sinking there as fast as it should, and that less warm water is being pulled north as a result, it is a patch of ocean located south of Greenland