Final answer:
The primary driving factor for creating El Niño conditions is the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, which causes changes in ocean temperature and air pressure. This disrupts normal weather patterns and leads to global changes in temperatures and rainfall. Increased greenhouse warming could contribute to more frequent El Niño events in the future.
Step-by-step explanation:
The primary driving factor for creating El Niño conditions is the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. During El Niño, a band of warm ocean water develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific, including off the Pacific coast of South America. This leads to high air pressure in the western Pacific and low air pressure in the eastern Pacific.
This change in ocean temperature and air pressure disrupts normal weather patterns, causing global changes in both temperatures and rainfall. El Niño can lead to extreme weather events such as fires, droughts, flooding, and crop failures.
Scientists also study future greenhouse warming and its potential impact on the frequency of El Niño events. Increased greenhouse warming could contribute to more frequent El Niño conditions in the future.