Kelvin waves contribute to El Niño by moving warm water concentrated in the Pacific Ocean near Indonesia eastward along the Equator toward South America. Kelvin waves also force the thermocline (that is, the oceanic water layer in which water temperature decreases rapidly with increasing depth) deeper, reducing cold-water upwelling (a process that brings nutrient-rich water from the depths to the ocean’s surface, which supports marine food chains) and increasing surface ocean temperatures near South America.
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