El Nino, also called the "El Nino-Southern Oscillation" or ENSO, is a change in the ocean-atmosphere system in the eastern Pacific that occurs about every five to seven years. It contributes to significant weather changes around the world, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Among these changes are increased rainfall across the southern region of the U.S. and in Peru and drought in the West Pacific, affecting Australia and its neighboring nations.

During El Nino, the winds at the equator blow from west to east in the Pacific. These winds travel along the surface of the ocean and bring warm surface water heated by the tropical sun to the western coasts of North and South America. Rainfall follows the warm water eastward, with associated flooding in Peru and drought in Indonesia and Australia. A key indicator of El Nino is usually warm temperature along and on both sides of the equator in the central and eastern Pacific.

The warming typically starts in the north during late spring or summer and builds to a peak at the end of the year. The events are usually over by the following summer. The changes in ocean temp

El Nino has, and will still continue to, greatly affect the seals and sea lions, killing thousands of them every year, when El Nino strikes. Scientists are puzzled by the fact that if El Nino doesn't kill the seals, there might be too many of them, but they don't want to see the pups die without doing anything. Therefore, the El Nino is a troublesome case for many scientists. The warming caused by El Nino not only affects seals, but also many other species of marine life and natural regions of places as well and the hearts of people and environmental groups.

There were mixed opinions as to what should be done about the seal and sea lion deaths that occurred during the most recent El Nino. In the United States, laws had protected sea lions from being hunted. Now, there is an abundance of sea lions and fishermen see them as pests. The sea lions are not hesitant to go into fishing nets after the caught fish. Researchers say that there are too many of them anyway and that even though it is hard to watch the innocent pups die, the El Nino was just one of natures way of evening out things. However, people with kind hearts and environmentalists groups continued to pick up the weak pups. Cautioned by experts, they risked being bitten by the pups with large sharp canines.

"El Nino Blamed: Sea Lion Pups Dying in Chile." Downloaded from

Environmental News Network website. 22 September 1997

"What are the Effects of El Nino?" Downloaded from glys.com.

Terry, Don. "Battered Sea Lions Find Refuge from El Nino." The New York

San Francisco Examiner 13 November 1997: pA1

eratures affect the atmosphere. The hot, humid air over the oceans fuels tropical thunderstorms. The hotter the air, the stronger the thunderstorms. As the warmest water spreads, the biggest thunderstorms follow, or move, with it. These thunderstorms pump warm air and humidity more than 50,000 feet into the air. El Nino has had an impact on many nations around the world. Some places got hit with heavy rains and floods, others faced drought, poor crops and starvation. Many different species of fish migrated and coral reefs got damaged. Santiago, Chile has suffered from severe flooding from heavy rainfall and snow. Drought conditions were felt in northeast Brazil, southeastern Africa, and the west Pacific. Pakistan and northwest India were dry, and the no

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