Meteorologists warn that the phenomenon could bring record heat and extreme weather. El Niño should bring more rain to South America. El Niño is back. The meteorological phenomenon, usually associated with rising temperatures, has officially begun and should “gradually strengthen” in the coming months, announced this Thursday (06/08) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States (NOAA).
El Niño is a phenomenon characterized by higher surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, but which has consequences for the entire planet. “It could lead to new temperature records” in certain regions, Michelle L’Heureux, a climatologist at NOAA, said in a statement.
“Depending on its intensity, El Niño can cause a series of impacts, such as increasing the risk of heavy rains or drought in certain regions of the world”, explained L’Heureux. “Climate change can exacerbate or mitigate certain impacts associated with the phenomenon,” he added.
In May, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned that the period 2023-2027 would almost certainly be the warmest period ever recorded on Earth, due to the combined effect of El Niño and global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
How does El Niño affect different parts of the world?
El Niño occurs roughly every two to seven years, and climatologists have been predicting its arrival this year for several months. The opposite phenomenon, La Niña, which tends to cause a drop in temperatures, has been present for the last three years.
El Niño usually brings more rain to southern South America, Central Asia and Northeast Africa, raising hopes for an end to the drought in these regions. However, this weather pattern could bring drought to Australia, Indonesia and parts of South Asia.
Earlier this week, Australia warned that El Niño would bring warmer, drier days to the country, which is already vulnerable to bushfires. Japan blamed the phenomenon for the hottest spring on record.
Although, El Niño tends to moderate hurricane activity in the Atlantic, it generally increases typhoon activity in the central and eastern Pacific.
What is El Niño?
El Niño and La Niña are names for complex patterns of winds and temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. Ocean winds can have three phases. The first is neutral, and they blow from east to west. Another is El Niño, where they slowed down or even stopped. And, the third is La Niña, where they blow stronger.
The effects of El Niño extend above the Pacific Ocean and across the rest of the world. They alter the paths of jet streams – strong winds high above the ground – that travel across the planet guided by rain.
Global surface temperatures increase by 0.1°C during El Niño years. In La Niña years, they fall in approximately the same pattern. This is because less cold water is pulled from the ocean depths near Peru during El Niño, leaving more warm water on the surface. This increases the temperature of the surfaces.
El Niño last occurred in 2018 and 2019. The phenomenon was followed by La Niña in the following years. The biggest impacts of El Niño were recorded in 2015 and 2016, when nearly a third of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef died.
cn (AFP, Lusa, AP, Reuters)
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