Question

During El Niño conditions, the reversal of the Walker Circulation results in increased convection _______________. 1) Near the cores of subtropical highs. 2) In the central and eastern Pacific. 3) In the western Pacific. 4) Far away from the equator.

Answer 1

Increased convection during El Niño conditions occurs mainly in the central and eastern Pacific. This is due to the reversal of the Walker Circulation, which disrupts the usual patterns of atmospheric circulation.

Step-by-step explanation:

During El Niño conditions, the reversal of the Walker Circulation results in increased convection primarily in the central and eastern Pacific. El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a process where a band of warm ocean water develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific, including off the Pacific coast of South America. This warm phase is characterized by high air pressure in the western Pacific and low air pressure in the eastern Pacific.

Convection is driven by the large-scale flow of matter, like the atmospheric circulation that's caused by the flow of warm air from the tropics to the poles and the flow of cold air from the poles to the tropics. Upon the reversal of the Walker Circulation during El Niño events, there is a disruption of the normal pattern and thus increased convection occurs in these central and eastern Pacific regions.

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