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Chasing El Niño
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Program Overview
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NOVA examines the effects of past and present El Niños on
global weather and follows the work of scientists who are trying to
understand and predict this phenomenon.
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Scientists use computer models to describe the climate cycle
that produces El Niño.
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In 1984, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) begins building the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO)
array, a network of buoys that measure surface winds, surface
temperature, upper ocean temperature and ocean currents. By
1994, the first El Niño early warning system is in place.
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Scientists are unable to predict the '82-'83 El Niño due to
a volcanic eruption that obscures the vision of satellites,
falsely lowering the readings of sea surface temperatures by a
few degrees.
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With the help of data collected by the TAO array, scientists
forecast the on-coming of the '97-'98 El Niño. Even so,
predictions do not accurately project the magnitude and rapid
development of this El Niño.
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By flying a plane into a storm, meteorologists collect data on
wind speed, temperature, rainfall and atmospheric pressure. They
use this information to forecast where the storm's precipitation
will fall.
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