EL NIÑO'S POWERFUL REACH   What is
El Niño?
Clues From
the Past
Long Distance
Connections
Winners &
Losers
El Niño
Lowdown

Left 1 2 3 4 5 6 No Fish, No Dinner Right

Fish Feed
Under normal conditions, fish feed on phytoplankton near the surface, in easy reach of birds and mammals (left). In an El Niño, warmer water at the surface kills the phytoplankton, and fish swim out of reach of birds and mammals (right).

Fish-eating birds and sea mammals get clobbered during an El Niño. Why? Ocean surface waters warm and keep deep, cooler water with nutrients from reaching the surface. A chain reaction occurs:
  • Microscopic plants (phytoplankton) die without nutrients.
  • Fish swim deeper in search of phytoplankton.
  • The fish go too deep for pelicans, sea lions, and other diving animals to reach them.