Not El Nino!!!What is El Nino doing in Nagano, Japan? Some meteorologists Atmospheric scientists
v. o·ver·heat·ed, o·ver·heat·ing, o·ver·heats v.tr. 1. To heat too much. 2. To cause to become excited, agitated, or overstimulated. v.intr. Pacific Ocean current might be a wet blanket anything which damps, chills, dispirits, or discour ges. See also: Blanket at the Olympics. El Nino could leave Nagano, warm and slushy slush·y adj. slush·i·er, slush·i·est 1. Consisting of, covered with, or full of slush. 2. Resembling slush, as in consistency. 3. Revoltingly sentimental; maudlin. See Synonyms at sentimental. with too little snow--a Winter Olympic nightmare. "There should be enough snow--maybe," says Tamahiro Kimino, a spokesman for the Nagano Olympic weather center. If he sounds iffy if·fy adj. if·fi·er, if·fi·est Informal Doubtful; uncertain: an iffy proposition. [From if. , that's because the effects of El Nino are often hard to predict (see SW 11/17/97). Currently in full force, the trouble-maker causes droughts, floods, and hurricanes--like the one that slammed Mexico's Pacific coast last fall, killing 122 people. El Nino usually brings warmer winters to Japan. Normally El Nino occurs every two to seven years. Sea-surface temperatures rise in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. The warmer ocean pumps more moisture and energy into the atmosphere. Then El Nino alters global weather patterns. Olympic organizers are prepared. At lower elevations where cross-country skiers will compete, snow-making machines are on call. These machines whip up snow from a mix of water and artificial ice particles. The machine sprays the mixture on the ground, but the result is usually thinner and grainier than real snow. Of course, there is a chance that El Nino will prove to be El Nothing. RELATED ARTICLE: 'NET HUNT CONTEST Get into the Olympic spirit and enter our fourth treasure hunt contest. Five students will be randomly selected to win an Earth Quest CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). from DK Multimedia. Contest Questions 1. How do lugers steer their sled? 2. Name three ways lugers reduce air resistance. 3. How do Olympic officials ensure that the entire luge luge (l  zh), a type of small sled on which one or two persons, lying face up, slide feet first down snowy hillsides or down steeply banked, curving, iced chutes similar to those used in track's temperature stays uniform? 4. How much ammonia will be used to cool the track? Go for the gold at: http://wwwus.nagano.olympic.org/home_e.html First, click on Sports. Then go to Luge. Click on Technical Details. Finally go to The Venue. Not a 'net surfer? No problem? Just send us four facts about luge a us where you got your information. Send your answers by e-mail or on a postcard. Entries must be received by Feb. 23, 1998. e-mail: scienceworld@scholastic.com mail: Net Hunt - Science World 555 Broadway, 3rd floor, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , NY 10012 Be sure to include your name, age, school, home address, and home phone number. Winners will be announced in the April 13, 1998 issue of Science World. |
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