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El Nino Lesson		Sea surface height anomaly during El Nino, Nov 1997
Image courtesy TOPEX Poseidon Project

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Purpose: To explore an historical El Nino event using real satellite data and to correlate El Nino to local weather
Grade Level: 6 - 12
Estimated Time for Completing Activity: 50 minutes
Learning Outcomes:
  • Students will practice using authentic satellite data to explore historical weather events.
  • Students will gain a better understanding of El Nino and be able to relate it to local observations.
National Standards:
  • Geography: The World in Spatial Terms
  • Math: Data Analysis and Probability
  • Science Content: D Earth and Space Science
AP Environmental Science Topics
  • Atmosphere-ocean interactions
  • El Nino - Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
  • Latitude and longitude
  • Upwelling
  • Water cycle
Virginia Standards of Learning:
  • ES.1c: The student will plan and conduct investigations in which scales, diagrams, maps, charts, graphs, tables, and profiles are constructed and interpreted.
  • ES.11c: The student will investigate and understand that oceans are complex, interactive physical, chemical, and biological systems and are subject to long- and short-term variations. Key concepts include systems interactions (density differences, energy transfer, weather, and climate).
  • Sci6.3: The student will investigate and understand the role of solar energy in driving most natural processes within the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and on the Earth's surface.
  • Sci6.5: The student will investigate and understand the unique properties and characteristics of water and its roles in the natural and human-made environment.
  • Sci6.6: The student will investigate and understand the properties of air and the structure and dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere.
Prerequisite
  • Full introduction to ENSO, El Nino and La Nina
  • Familiarity with finding locations using latitude and longitude coordinates
Tools
  • Computer with Printer
  • Red and blue colored pencils
Vocabulary:
Lesson Links:
Background:

One of the strongest observed ENSO events of the century began to unfold in 1997. Fortunately, an extensive network of satellite and ocean buoy instruments was prepared to monitor and record the historical event. In this lesson, students will collect data from the MY NASA DATA Live Access Server to understand how scientists detect the onset of El Nino conditions and the reversal to La Nina conditions using authentic satellite data. The students will further discover how this event affected their local weather by exploring regional data for the same time period.
Procedure:

Part I: Examine LAS Equatorial Pacific sea level height and sea surface temperature data to explore the ENSO event of 1997 - 1999.

1. Click on the Lesson Link for the Live Access Server.
2. Select Oceans, Sea level height, click Next.
3. Select region Equatorial Pacific.
4. Select time Nov 1997 (El Nino).
5. Click Next to create a graph of the data. Be sure pop-up windows are allowed.
6. Save and print your graph.
7. Repeat this process for time Feb 1999 (La Nina).

Repeat this process for sea surface temperature data.

1. Return to the Datasets page of the Live Access Server.
2. Select Oceans, Sea Surface Temperature, click Next.
3. Select region Equatorial Pacific.
4. Select time Nov 1997 (El Nino).
5. Click Next to create a graph of the data.
6. Save and print your graph.
7. Repeat this process for time Feb 1999 (La Nina).

Discuss as a class how the data shows evidence for ENSO.

Part II: Explore LAS precipitation data to correlate this El Nino - La Nina cycle to wetter or drier conditions for students' local area.

1. Return to the Datasets page of the Live Access Server.
2. Select Atmosphere, Precipitation, click Next.
2. Select view as Time series and output as Line plot.
3. Enter your latitude and longitude position.
4. Select time from Jan 1997 - Dec 2000.
5. Click Next to create a graph of the data.
6. Save and print your graph.

Using your colored pencils, mark on your line graph where you may be seeing effects of El Nino (red) and La Nina (blue), if any.
Questions:

1. How are ocean water temperature and sea level height correlated?

2. What happens to the fishing industry in the eastern Pacific during El Nino? Why?

3. Based on your line plot, is there evidence that ENSO affects your local precipitation?
Extensions:

1. Students may research and discover other time periods of El Nino and La Nina cycles to see if the results are consistent.

2. Students may also explore cloud cover and net radiation data during ENSO events. See the Lesson Link on CERES Radiative Anomalies for further explanation.

Lesson plan contributed by the MY NASA DATA team

Click here for Teachers Notes

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