On June 8, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that the El Nino phenomenon has begun to occur on Earth. El Niño is a climate phenomenon that impacts storms in the Pacific Ocean, increasing rainfall and flooding risk in the Americas and other regions. Over the past three years, the global climate has been influenced by the La Nina phenomenon, which has caused global temperatures to drop below average.
The weather conditions for this year are particularly worrisome, scientists say. According to Reuters, The last time El Nino peaked, in 2016, was the hottest period ever recorded on Earth.
Meteorologists say that El Niño, along with heat waves caused by climate change, could expose the world to record-high temperatures.
Scientists believe that the El Nino phenomenon can cause the Earth's temperature to rise to record levels in the near future. (Photo: Reuters)
Experts are also concerned about what is going on in the seas. El Nino phenomenon will cause sea temperature in the East Pacific to rise higher than normal. As early as May, before the El Nino phenomenon started, the water temperature on the sea surface was 5 degrees Celsius higher than the record level ever recorded.
“We are in an unprecedented situation.”, said Michelle L'Heureux, meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center, part of NOOA.
According to a study published in the journal Science in May, the impact of El Nino phenomenon can damage the world economy 3.000 billion USD through disrupting food production, industry, and spreading disease.
Countries vulnerable to climate change are beginning to notice El Nino. Peru has spent the budget 1,06 billion USD to cope with the effects of El Nino and climate change. Meanwhile, the Philippines, which is frequently hit by tropical storms, has set up a dedicated team to deal with the impact of extreme weather events.
What factors create El Nino .?
El Nino is a natural climate pattern created by warm water currents in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
This phenomenon is formed when trade winds blowing from east to west along the equator in the Pacific Ocean slow down or reverse as atmospheric pressure changes. However, scientists have not been able to conclude what is the starting factor for this process.
As the trade winds affect the water temperature of the sun-warmed sea surface, this weakening of the wind causes warm ocean currents in the western Pacific to move into cooler basins in the western Pacific. eastern and central Pacific.
During the 2015-2016 El Nino cycle, when this phenomenon was most active in history, the number of flounders off the coast of Peru fell sharply due to the warm water displacement from the Western Pacific. This phenomenon also caused a third of the area of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia to be destroyed.
The accumulation of warm water in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean also affects the atmosphere through evaporation, creating storms.
“As El Nino moves warm water, storms move with water.”NOAA meteorologist Tom DiLiberto said.
How does El Nino affect the global climate?
Changes in hurricane activity affect the fast-moving air currents – known as subtropical air currents. The upstream, which causes global weather changes, is pushed southward and flattened.
“If you change the route of storms, you change the weather conditions.”, DiLiberto said.
Under the impact of El Nino, the southern United States will experience colder and wetter conditions. While the western US and Canada will become drier and hotter.
The number of hurricanes in the United States will decrease due to changes in wind patterns in the Atlantic. However, storms in the Pacific will increase and become more severe, directly impacting vulnerable islands in the region.
India was one of the places that suffered severe droughts during the last cycle of the El Nino phenomenon in 2015. (Photo: Reuters)
Parts of Central America and South America will see increased rainfall, while Australia will suffer severe heat waves, droughts and wildfires.
El Nino will help the Horn of Africa get out of drought after 5 years of being affected by the La Nina phenomenon.
In the past, both El Nino and La Nina events occurred on average every 2-7 years. In particular, the El Nino phenomenon lasts from 9 to 12 months. The La Nina phenomenon, which occurs when water flows are colder in the Eastern Pacific, usually lasts one to three years.
Is El Nino affected by climate change?
According to Mr. DiLiberto, the way climate change affects El Nino is “a very important research topic”. Although climate change could double the impact of El Nino – causing heat to overlap with existing heat and accelerate the rainy season – it is not yet possible to conclude with certainty that this situation has a direct impact on the current climate. weather icon above.
Scientists cannot be certain that climate change will disrupt the balance between El Nino and La Nina, making either phenomenon more frequent. The scientists said that if sea temperature increases in all areas, this cycle is likely to remain unchanged, as the mechanism of the two phenomena remains the same.
However, if sea temperatures rise unevenly, El Nino can become more severe.
(Source: Zing News)
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