#ElNino: El Niño is defined by prolonged warming in the Pacific Ocean sea surface temperatures when compared with the average value. The accepted definition is a warming of at least 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) averaged over the east-central tropical Pacific Ocean. Typically, this anomaly happens at irregular intervals of two to seven years, and lasts nine months to two years. The average period length is five years. When this warming occurs for only seven to nine months, it is classified as El Niño conditions; when it occurs for more than that period, it is classified as El Niño episodes. Similarly, La Niña conditions and episodes are defined for cooling. El Niños warm rush of nutrient-poor water heated by its eastward passage in the Equatorial Current, replaces the cold, nutrient-rich surface water of the Humboldt Current. When El Niño conditions last for many months, extensive ocean warming and the reduction in easterly trade winds limits upwelling of cold nutrient-rich deep water, and its economic impact to local fishing for an international market can be serious. Developing countries dependent upon agriculture and fishing, particularly those bordering the Pacific Ocean, are the most affected. El niño is Spanish for the boy, and the capitalized term El Niño refers to the Christ child, Jesus, because periodic warming in the Pacific near South America is usually noticed around Christmas. While fears of a weak Indian monsoon persist, the Australian weather departments latest forecast suggests that El Nino may develop by September, a little later than previously expected August. This will come as a relief to Indias planners since it suggests that the Pacific Ocean weather phenomenon will only pose a threat to the June-September southwest monsoon in the last month of the season. The Australian weather department says the chances of an El Nino developing this year remain at an alert level of at least a 70%. Warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean over the past several months has primed the climate system for an El Nino in 2014.
Posted on: Sun, 22 Jun 2014 16:36:01 +0000
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