El Nino

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the thermocline is lower than normal. Finally,
thermocline rises in the west, making upwelling easier and water colder. Air
pressures at sea level in the South Pacific seesaw back and forth between two
distinct patterns. In the high index phase, also called "Southern Oscillation",
pressure is higher near and to the east of Tahiti than farther to the west near
Darwin. The east-west pressure difference along the equator causes the surface
air to flow westward. When the atmosphere switches into the low index phase,
barometers rise in the west and fall in the east, signaling a reduction, or even
a reversal the pressure difference between Darwin and Tahiti. The flattening of
the seesaw causes the easterly surface winds to weaken and retreat eastward.
The "low index" phase is usually accompanied by El Nino conditions.
The easterly winds along the equator and the southeasternly winds that
blow along the Peru and Ecuador coasts both tend to drag the surface water along
with them. The ...

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