id you know that the more spots a male peacock has on his tail, the more likely he is to father babies, survive harsh winters and escape predators? Scientists think that only the healthiest males have lots of spots and that is why they are more successful than other males.
El Nino: What is it?
El Nino: What is it? El Nino is more than just the cause of warm water,
it is a complex pattern of climactic change that impacts weather
world-wide. It is related to Southern Oscillation, a process of air
pressure changes over the Pacific Ocean. Normally, air pressure in
the east is higher than that in the west. As the winds blow from
east to west across the Pacific, they push warm weather ahead of
them. However, every few years, the air pressure shifts and causes
the winds to either reverse or stop entirely. This causes warm
weather to head back across the Pacific from Asia towards South
America. El Nino modifies jet stream patterns, bringing storms to
California and mild winters to the Northeast. El Nino has been
documented since the start of the century and is being studied by
scientists in order to understand its origin and
development.