Which region of the world is like to experience major drought conditions and possible fires during El Nino?

Question

A.) Gulf Coast Of US

B.) Peru

C.) Papua New Guinea

D.) Indonesia

Answer 1

El Niño is an unusual warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean that occurs irregularly at about 3-6 year intervals in response to large scale weakenings of the trade winds that normally blow westward from South America toward Asia. Normally, the trade winds produce cool surface water in the eastern Pacific, through evaporation and the upwelling of colder water from below the surface. Simultaneously, they "corral" warm surface waters over in the far western Pacific. As the trade winds weaken, so does the containment of the warm water in the west and the maintenance of the coolness in the east. As a result, relatively warm water becomes ubiquitous all across the Pacific from New Guinea to South America. Although the immediate cause (wind weakening) is known and scientists have made much progress in understanding the phenomenon, the exact nature of the processes that govern its repetitive cycle are still not certain.