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A Review on the Analysis of the Equatorial Current System and the Variability during the El Niño Period: Focusing on the Misconceptions in the Field of Secondary Education

적도 해류계 분석 및 엘니뇨 시기의 변동에 관한 논의: 중등 교육 현장의 관련 오개념을 중심으로

  • Chang, You-Soon (Department of Earth Science Education, Kongju National University)
  • 장유순 (공주대학교 지구과학교육과)
  • Received : 2021.03.02
  • Accepted : 2021.05.10
  • Published : 2021.06.30
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Abstract

El Niño is a typical ocean and atmospheric interaction phenomenon that causes climate variability on a global scale, so it has been used as a very important teaching and learning material in the field of earth science. This study summarized the distribution and dynamics of the equatorial current system. The variability of the equatorial current system during the El Niño period and the associated misconceptions were also investigated. The North Equatorial Current, South Equatorial Current, and Equatorial Under Current significantly weaken during El Niño years. However, the variability of the North Equatorial Counter Current (NECC) during the El Niño period cannot be generalized because the NECC shows southward movement with weakening in the northern area and strengthening in the southern area, along its central axis. In the western Pacific, the NECC is further south during El Niño years, and thus, it has an eastward flow in the equatorial western Pacific. Our analysis of a mass media science article, a secondary school exam, and a survey for incumbent teachers confirmed disparate ideas about the equatorial current system's variability during El Niño periods. This is likely due to inaccurate interpretations of the existing El Niño schematic diagram and insufficient understanding of the equatorial current and wave dynamics.

엘니뇨는 전지구적인 규모로 기후 변화를 유발하는 대표적인 해양-대기 상호작용 현상으로서 지구과학 분야에서 매우 중요한 교수-학습 소재로 사용되고 있다. 본 논고에서는 적도 해류계의 분포 특징 및 발생 역학에 관해 정리하였으며, 엘니뇨 시기의 적도 해류계 변동과 관련 오개념에 관해 조사하였다. 엘니뇨 시기에는 북적도해류, 남적도해류, 적도잠류들이 유의미하게 약화된다. 그러나 북적도반류는 중심축을 중심으로 남쪽 성분은 강화되고 북쪽 성분은 약화되면서 적도 쪽으로 남하하기 때문에 엘니뇨 시기의 북적도반류의 변동에 대해서는 일반화할 수 없다. 또한 서태평양에서는 북적도반류의 남하 폭이 커져 결과적으로 적도 서태평양에서는 동향류가 관측된다. 일부 대중 매체를 통한 과학 기사, 중등학교 평가 문항 뿐만 아니라 현직 교사들을 대상으로 한 설문 조사 결과 분석을 통해 엘니뇨 시기의 적도 해류계의 변동에 관한 개념이 통일되지 않았음을 확인하였다. 이는 기존에 사용되고 있는 엘니뇨 모식도의 부정확한 해석과 적도 해류 및 파동 역학에 관한 이해 부족과 연관된다고 유추할 수 있다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

본 연구는 2020년 공주대학교 학술연구지원사업의 일환으로 수행되었으며, 일부 한국연구재단(2019R1A2C1008490)과 충청씨그랜트 사업의 지원을 받았습니다. 자료 정리를 도와준 공주대학교 지구과학교육과 김강우 학생과, 논문을 세밀히 검토해 주시고 좋은 의견을 주신 심사위원님들께 감사드립니다.

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