Assignment

in

Earth Science>

Submitted by:
Justin Oliver Hautea
Submitted to:
Sir Joy R. Delos Reyes
What is ENSO?
"ENSO" refers to the El Nio/Southern Oscillation, the interaction between the
atmosphere and ocean in the tropical Pacific that results in a somewhat periodic variation
between below-normal and above-normal sea surface temperatures and dry and wet
conditions over the course of a few years. While the tropical ocean affects the
atmosphere above it, so too does the atmosphere influence the ocean below it. One layer
of the Pacific Ocean that is influenced by ENSO is the thermocline.
The thermocline marks the transition between the warm upper water and the
cold deep water in the Pacific Ocean. The upward currents along the equator (or

upwelling) are strongest across this transition zone. The depth of the thermocline has a
direct relationship with water surface temperatures. When the thermocline is closer to
the water surface, upwelling of cold, nutrient rich deep-water is transported up from the
bottom layers, leading to cooler temperatures at the water surface.
The interaction of the atmosphere and ocean is an essential part of El Nio and La
Nia events (the term coupled system is often used to describe the mutual interaction
between the ocean and atmosphere). During an El Nio, sea level pressure tends to be
lower in the eastern Pacific and higher in the western Pacific while the opposite tends to
occur during a La Nia. This see-saw in atmospheric pressure between the eastern and
western tropical Pacific is called the Southern Oscillation, often abbreviated as simply the
SO.
Since El Nio and the Southern Oscillation are related, the two terms are often
combined into a single phrase, the El Nio-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO. Often the term
ENSO Warm Phase is used to describe El Nio and ENSO Cold Phase to describe La Nia.

ENSO
greatly

is

affects

phenomenon

the

climate

bordering the Pacific

Ocean.

the

countries which rely

developing

of

which
countries

Particularly,

on agriculture and fishing are greatly affected by this phenomenon. El Nino can
cause drought, and very hot weather while La Nina can bring heavy rains and

flooding both of which can result in crop destruction and damage to agriculture
due to grass and forest fires or, heavy raining and flooding. ENSO can greatly
affect the livelihood of farmers and fishermen. The very high temperature during
El Nino can also cause heat strokes.

The El Nino that we experienced last year was tremendously hot. The crops
and farms near the campus were brown, dry and, withered. There were also lots
of reports of grass fire. The forest fire in Mt. Apo lasted longer because there was
little to no rain. The El Nino affected the farmers more than us. Many farms had
dry soil. There were also more blackouts because most of our electricity relies on
hydroelectric power.

El Nino could also affect our health. Prolonged exposure to heat and the
sun can cause sunburns, and heat stroke. Too much UV rays from the sun could
also cause skin cancer.

Dehydration could also endanger your health.

During

times like El Nino, you should stay well hydrated, cool, and as much as possible,
avoid too much exposure to sunlight, especially during high noon.

On the other hand, La Nina, the complete opposite of El Nino, could be

worse. Not only does it heavily affect rural and low lying areas but also urban
areas.

Most cities in the Philippines have poor drainage system and thus,

experience flooding. In rural areas, the heavy rains and flooding can decimate
crops and infrastructure. La Nina can affect the economy since it can reduce the
productivity of the country.

La Nina can also bring diseases. Exposure of open wounds to flood water or
other dirty or contaminated water can cause leptospirosis and other infections.
During La Nina, people will spend more time indoors due to the heavy rains, so
the spread of viruses, especially airborne viruses such as colds, would be easier.
Dirty waters could also breed insects like mosquitoes which can spread diseases
like Malaria and Dengue.

The government spend millions, if not, billions of pesos for rehabilitation

and reconstruction of the infrastructure and farms, destroyed or damaged by the
ENSO phenomenon. The Philippines is not very prepared during calamities unlike
other countries.

This is mainly due to lack of infrastructure, terrain, lack of

government funding, less advance technology, lack of maintenance, and other

factors.
However, the government is now approving many infrastructure projects so that
the damage done by calamities before will not happen again.

Despite these circumstances, Filipinos can easily move on, improvise,

rebuild and start again.

Sources

International Research Institute for Climate and Society. (n.d.). ENSO. Retrieved
from http://iri.columbia.edu/:
https://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/maproom/ENSO/ENSO_Info.html