EPSC 185 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Walker Circulation, Thermocline, Vise
2 Apr 2018
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Children of the tropics: el ni o and la ni a. Large scale band of oceanic warming that affects most of the tropical pacific. The christ child : named so due to its frequent late december appearance. Usually accompanied by the southern oscillation (change in atmospheric pressure between tropical eastern and western pacific ocean waters) it is the atmospheric component of el nino. Strength of southern oscillation measured by southern oscillation index (soi) Clearest sign of the so = inverse relationship between surface air pressure at 2 southern sites: darwin, australia and south pacific island of tahiti. High pressure at one location = concurrent with low pressure at the other (vise versa) Pattern reverses every few years (think of a see-saw of a mass of air oscillating back and forth across international date line) 1st step: trade winds across tropical pacific move from east west. (from.
