A few days ago, the head of the World Meteorological Organization, Petteri Taalas, issued a statement saying that the formation of the “El Niño” phenomenon would cause a “new peak of global warming” and record temperatures by September, with a probability of 80%.
So what is “El Niño”? And what is the relationship of human activity to its formation? Is it limited to a specific country or does it include the entire planet?
complex phenomenon
The “El Niño” phenomenon has been known since the 17th century after it was discovered by fishermen in the oceans when they noticed the rapid change in temperatures in the waters of the Pacific Ocean in particular, as explained by environmental expert Domit Kamel, leader of the World Environment Party (an environmental awareness association based in Beirut).
Kamel presents on the “Sky News Arabia” site the effects of this phenomenon on the planet, and the climatic phenomena that result from it:
The “El Nino” phenomenon is a climatic cycle of the Pacific Ocean that has major effects on weather patterns around the world. It usually begins when the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean move from the western part to the eastern tropical part, especially towards the coasts of South America along the equator. The phenomenon occurs due to a change in atmospheric pressure and the coastal waters warm in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, which leads to a decrease in atmospheric pressure over the ocean and strong winds rush towards west across the tropical Pacific Ocean. Winds push warm surface waters westward from the Pacific Ocean between Asia and Australia; The sea level rises about 80 centimeters, warm water moves and cold water rises towards the surface, and the process of rising waters affects the global climate in all parts of the planet, causing strong rain or exposure to drought. The period of 2015 and 2016 has been called “The Great El Niño” because its impact increased and spread to many parts of the world, after a sharp rise in ocean temperatures.
Double acting
The World Meteorological Organization says the phenomenon is linked to hot, dry conditions in Australia’s southern and eastern interior, as well as Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and the central Pacific islands. such as Fiji, Tonga and Papua New Guinea.
He adds that 2016 was “the warmest year on record due to the ‘double effect’ of a strong El Niño and warming due to man-made greenhouse gases”.
As for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations “FAO”, it points out that in addition to what El Niño causes in terms of floods, extreme heat or extreme cold, it causes epidemics of animal diseases, plant pests and forest fires. .
Read the Latest World News Today on The Eastern Herald.
