Which shifts in marine trophic structure emerge following the onset of an El Niño event?

💡 Explanation

When an El Niño occurs, upwelling of nutrient-rich cold water weakens because trade winds diminish, leading to a decline in primary productivity and reduced zooplankton populations, ultimately causing prey scarcity for seabirds. Therefore decreased seabird populations result, rather than increased diatoms, expanded kelp, or enhanced coral which require nutrient upwelling and stable temperatures.

• Which process limits alluvial fan deposition at a tectonic basin's distal edges?
• Which impact does increased freshwater input from glacial melt have on North Atlantic gyre circulation?
• Which atmospheric mechanism predominantly deflects high-altitude eastward-flowing air streams on a rotating planet?
• Which outcome occurs when a significant amount of water is carried into the mantle by a subducting slab?
• Which mechanism disrupts deep ocean nutrient circulation after a large freshwater influx from glacial melt?
• Which consequence results when thermal stratification impedes vertical mixing in fjord streams?