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GCSE Geography · key term
An irregular warming of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, linked to changes in atmospheric pressure, winds and rainfall.
Used by Edexcel and OCR
Specification 2.7 · Paper 1
Revise: Causes of DroughtEl Niño and La Niña show how ocean and atmospheric changes can alter drought risk over time. They are phases of an irregular cycle called ENSO, the El Niño Southern Oscillation. El Niño involves warmer-than-average water in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific; La Niña involves cooler-than-average water.
Specification 1.1a · Paper 1, Paper 3
The ENSO phase with sustained warmer-than-average surface waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, accompanied by changes in atmospheric circulation.
Explain both the usual circulation pattern and changes over time. El Niño changes drought risk, but does not guarantee drought everywhere.
Identify where drought risk increases. El Niño and La Niña do not make everywhere drier, and their typical effects are not guaranteed in every event.
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El Niño and La Niña involve changes across a much larger area: the equatorial Pacific Ocean and the atmosphere above it. Together with neutral conditions, they form the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO).