Ap Environmental Science - El Nino

AP Environmental Science

Take Home Essay

El Nino Linked to Disease Epidemics

A. Describe what an El Nino is and clearly indicate where it occurs.

El Nino is the phenomenon where normal climatic patterns are severely disrupted and the longer the phenomenon lasts, the more disruptive it can be. The disruption can result in a warming of ocean water due to a decrease of cold water upwelling. El Nino occurs in places such as the Tropical and Equatorial Pacific Oceans.

B. Describe the connection between the climate change associated with an El Nino and the transmission of diseases. Explain whether the article is correct in its reporting of the various disease epidemics that occur in response to El Nino.

There are three connections between the climate change associated with an El Nino and the transmission of diseases which include: warmer water, an increase of temperature in air, and overall drier conditions. Warmer water is associated with the transmission of diseases because warmer water allows for an increase in bacterial growth which therein leads to an increase of potential bacteria diseases. An increase of temperature in air is associated with the transmission of diseases because it may lead to an increase of breeding and feeding of insects. If the insect is a disease carrier, then their production and hunger would be a disease trigger. Overall drier conditions are associated with the transmission of diseases because it would therefore cause bodies of water to become still which would attract a large population of mosquitoes. Malaria, being a disease transmitted by mosquito, could be a potential result.

The article is correct in its reporting of the various disease epidemics that occur in response to El Nino due to scientific evidence that links El Nino to the spread of disease where “Recently scientists studying ENSOs established a link between the climate-related changes during an El Nino event and the spread of such diseases as cholera and...