Which impact results on global carbon cycling when El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions intensify?

💡 Explanation

When ENSO intensifies, upwelling of nutrient-rich waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean decreases because trade winds weaken, leading to reduced phytoplankton productivity and CO2 absorption. Therefore decreased ocean carbon uptake results, rather than terrestrial sequestration, rock weathering, or sediment burial that rely on different processes and timescales.

• Which outcome is most likely when rising Arctic permafrost temperatures increase active layer thickness on sloped terrain?
• Which outcome results when silicate mineral weathering uptakes atmospheric CO2?
• Which outcome occurs when intense rainfall accelerates podzolization processes?
• Which outcome occurs when offshore winds consistently encounter coastal dunes?
• Which outcome occurs when trade winds approach mountainous islands?
• Which risk increases for communities protected by artificial levees during intense, prolonged rainfall events?