fundamentals Flashcards
What is El Niño?
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A: A warming of the ocean surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean
What is La Niña?
A: A cooling of the ocean surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
Q: What is the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)?
A: An index describing changes in atmospheric pressure between Iceland and the Azores.
Q: How does a positive NAO index affect Northern Europe?
A: It brings warmer conditions to Northern Europe.
Q: What is a regime shift?
A: A long-lasting change in ecosystem structure and function.
Q: What caused the regime shift in the North Sea?
A: Overfishing and ocean warming.
Q: What happened to California sea lions during El Niño events?
A: Populations declined due to warmer waters and reduced prey availability.
Q: What major event affected emperor penguins in 2022?
A: Record-low Antarctic sea ice led to widespread breeding failure.
Q: What are top predators vulnerable to in changing ocean climates?
A: Habitat shifts, prey loss, and altered breeding conditions.
