El Nino, La Nina ... and the Santa Maria? The 11th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program explains the mechanism of El Nino/Southern Oscillation. Pupils use previous data to determine if 2009-2010 was an El Nino year.

Concepts

el nino, oceans, oceanography

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Have learners find newspaper articles on the effect of El Nino

Classroom Considerations

• Demonstration requires materials, such as food coloring
• Learners need to have knowledge of intersections between the ocean and the atmosphere (covered in previous lessons)

Pros

• Activity uses actual historical records
• Demonstration allows learners to see how El Nino works

Cons

• None