El Nino Effect

Conclusively, our research cruise information turns out to fall in general terms. However, there is factors that effect the results. One factor that influences the data results is El Nino. What is El Nino? El Nino is "A southward-flowing, nutrient-poor current of flowing, nutrient-poor current of warm water off the coast of western South America, caused by a breakdown of trade-wind circulation."(Oceanography: An Invitation). Specifically, El Nino influences seawater temperature, density, and oxygen in the water. First all, El Nino influences seawater temperature by causing seawater temperature to increase. For example, in fall of 2014 at a depth of 3 meters water temperature is 19.49 Celsius; however, in fall of 2015 the seawater increases to 21.27 …show more content…
Additionally, seawater temperature influences the density of the water. In general, the colder the seawater the greater the density and the warmer the seawater the less dense the seawater. Specifically, in the fall of 2014 the seawater density at a depth of 15 meters is 1024.98 g/cm3; however, in comparison to fall of 2015 the seawater temperature in Long Beach is 1023.4 g/cm3. El Nino also effects the oxygen in the seawater. Why? This due to the fact that warmer seawater is able to hold less oxygen in comparison to colder seawater which is able to hold more oxygen in the water. Specifically, this water holds less oxygen due to the fact that, as mostreamteam.org a website that is worrisome about streams, "Warm water allows for larger spaces between water molecules where oxygen can readily escape. Whereas, cold water is more closely packed together with smaller spaces between molecules holding oxygen tighter."(moststreamteam.org). Unfortunately, this may be bad for the wild life that habits this area. In addition, some marine animals that are not native to this area may have to migrate elsewhere. Thus effecting the number of species in Long Beach