What is a significant effect of El Nino on global weather patterns?

The significant effect of El Niño on global weather patterns is that it alters weather patterns worldwide. El Niño is a climate phenomenon characterized by the warming of surface waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. This warming has far-reaching impacts on atmospheric circulation, which can disrupt normal weather patterns across the globe.

El Niño often leads to increased rainfall in some regions, such as the western coasts of the Americas, while causing droughts in others, such as parts of Southeast Asia and Australia. The interconnected nature of the Earth's climate system means that changes in ocean temperatures can influence jet streams, monsoons, and storm systems, leading to extreme weather events, including hurricanes, floods, and droughts, in various parts of the world.

In contrast to the other possible effects, such as consistent temperature drops or a stable climate, which do not accurately represent the dynamic impacts of El Niño, the correct choice recognizes the complexity of its influence, highlighting how it can create both wet and dry conditions in different areas, thus confirming its role in altering global weather patterns.