🚀 go-pugleaf

> >> If these air currents were upset even regionally, then I assume they may
> >>affect ocean surface currents. And since the "El Nino" phenomena is related
> >>to oceanic temperature changes etc etc, could this then provide for
> >>instabilities in the weather/climate on a larger scale ?
> >
> >Certainly.  El Nino is intimately related to changes in the equatorial
> >winds. It's not clear what causes what, though.
>... 
> El Nino is a simple handle to describe a SET of phenomena.  There are
> several problems associated with trying to describe it not the least of
> which are the 3-D ODEs which describe it and the hydrodynamics (state
> changes are the hard part) which are going on.  Be skeptical.

What started out to be a rather straightforward investigation of a simple
phenomenon---periodic failure of the anchovy harvest off South
America---has turned out to involve rather complex worldwide changes in
atmosphere ("Southern Oscillation") and hydrosphere (Equatorial
countercurrent and Pacific sea level changes) circulations.

Hundreds (at least) well-qualified researchers are studying various aspects
of the overall problem (it is the main rationale behind the worldwide
Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere project, one very extensive study,
to name one large project).

Perhaps in 3-5 years it will be fairly well understood, but probably not
before then.

-- 
Bob Cunningham
bob@hig.hawaii.edu