Final answer:
El Niño is a part of the ENSO cycle, associated with warm sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in altered global weather patterns and socioeconomic impacts.
Step-by-step explanation:
El Niño is a climate phenomenon that represents the warm phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), characterized by an increase in sea surface temperature (SST) across the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. It occurs near the Pacific coast of South America and significantly affects global weather patterns.
El Niño leads to a decrease in air pressure over the eastern Pacific and an increase over the western Pacific. Conversely, the cool phase of ENSO is known as La Niña, marked by cooler-than-average SST in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Both phases of ENSO, including La Niña, result in substantial changes in global temperatures and rainfall patterns. The impact of El Niño on economies, especially those reliant on agriculture and fishing, can be profound, leading to issues such as flooding, drought, crop failures, and an increase in goods and services prices.
The consequences of El Niño are diverse, affecting areas ranging from deserts to mountains and farms. It can cause marine life die-offs due to the replacement of cold nutrient-rich waters with warmer waters during El Niño events.
Moreover, these events contribute to extreme weather occurrences like fires and flooding, which can lead to catastrophic outcomes for the environment and human societies.