El Niño-Southern Oscillation Events (ENSO)

This refers to a phenomena that occurs naturally and it involves fluctuation in ocean temperatures of equatorial pacific.  The fluctuations happen between two states, the warm phase which is El Niño and the cooler state referred to us La Nina. The El Nino can be linked to a period in which the temperatures of sea surface across the east-central and central equatorial pacific increase more than average. Conditions that are wetter than average occur in other parts and these fluctuations affect weather patterns and ocean conditions across large parts of the globe. La Nina represents periods where temperatures fall below average across east-central equatorial- pacific. The Southern-Oscillation refers to a bimodal difference in barometric pressure of sea level. It also involves the fluctuation of trade winds in terms of strength due to changes in atmospheric pressure gradient. This phenomena affects the fish industry by causing long term fluctuation in fish population (Trenberth, 7).

Question 2

During the day, the land absorb heat faster than the water body and during the night the land cools faster than water body. When the land is heated up due to warm currents, the air above also gets heated up. However, the rate of heating or cooling of the water body is relatively slower. Thus, during the day those areas near the water body largely stay cooler and their temperature remain moderate than inland parts (Ahrens, 351).

Question 3

Greenhouse gases include the carbon dioxide and the  methane, nitrous oxide and the fluorinated gases. Carbon dioxide is produced through combustion of various fossil fuels like oil, coal and natural gas and solid discarded tree or wood products. Methane is usually emitted while coal, oil and natural gases are being produced or transported. The emissions also come from agricultural and livestock practices and aerobic decay of solid waste materials. Nitrous oxide is produced through manufacturing and agricultural undertakings and during burning of solid waste and fossil fuels. The fluorinated gases consist of perfluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride. They are emitted from various industrial processes, household and commercial uses but are not produced naturally. The gas that is increasing at a high rate is carbon dioxide due to high number of industrial activity. This gas is causing the weakening of the ozone layer that shields the earth atmosphere from the sun’s ultra-violet rays (Nordhaus, Merrill, and Beaton, 20).

Question 4

The conditions that favour hurricane development include the sea-surface temperatures that are warm, high light winds and rotation of air waves. The cyclones that lead to hurricanes depend on heat energy building up in the atmosphere above them so as to develop and grow. Increase in these winds cause tilting of tropical cyclone vertical structure and do not allow this system to continue being staked in the troposphere. Dry air and low winds will inhibit the hurricane from developing and growing. The change in pressure resulting and temperature as a result of these winds results to a lot of rain (Elsner, James and Kara, 8).

Question 5

The different type of faults include the slip faults, reverse faults and normal faults. Slip fault results after geological features move relatively on sides the fault plane. Normal faults results from hanging walls hanging down. Reverse faults results from the hanging moves upwards and the forces creating these faults are normally compressional and pushes the sides together. San Andreas Fault in California is a good example of slip fault.

Question 6

The movement of tectonic faults lead to creation of three kind of  tectonic boundaries; convergent where the plates slip into the others, divergent due to plates moving away and transform due to plates moving sideways. The collision of plate’s landmasses makes the crust to crumple and buckle to form a mountain (Nizamuddin, 351).

Works cited

KE, Trenberth. El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO): National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, US. 2013. 7.

Khan, Nizamuddin. An Introduction to Physical Geography. New Delhi: Concept, (2001). 90-95

Ahrens, C D. Essentials of Meteorology: An Invitation to the Atmosphere. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, 2011. Print.351

Nordhaus, William D, Stephen A. Merrill, and Paul T. Beaton. Effects of U.s. Tax Policy on Greenhouse Gas Emissions. , 2013. 20

Elsner, James B, and A B. Kara. Hurricanes of the North Atlantic: Climate and Society. New York, NY [u.a.: Oxford Univ. Press, 1999. 8-9

MacNiocaill, Conall, and Paul D. Ryan. Continental Tectonics. London: Geological Society, 1999. Print. 328