He Boy Is a climatic and oceanographic phenomenon consisting of the presence of warm conditions in the climate and ocean in the coastal areas of South America, Southeast Asia and Australia.
The phenomenon of the child is one of the phases of El Niño - Southern Oscillation, a climatic pattern that occurs in the Pacific Ocean and in the surrounding areas. This pattern consists of two phases: a cold phase, called La Niña, and a warm phase, called El Niño.
The warm phase of the South Oscillation climate pattern is caused by the warming of the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean, which causes anomalous climate changes in the affected regions.
In addition to this, it generates other situations such as intense periods of rain and drought, economic problems such as loss of crops and the disappearance of fish in the affected waters.
The name of this phenomenon comes from the fact that it occurs at Christmas time on the Pacific coast of South America. In fact, it was originally called"The Christmas Child"to refer to the Child Jesus.
Definition of the phenomenon
The El Niño phenomenon is a phase of the Southern Oscillation climate pattern, which is characterized by rising temperatures in the coastal areas near the Pacific Ocean. In this vein, this phenomenon affects South America, Southeast Asia and Australia.
This phenomenon has existed for thousands and thousands of years. However, it was only recently that El Niño began to be studied as a climatic pattern.
Period of action
The El Niño phenomenon occurs every two to seven years and can be extended for months. This phenomenon usually occurs between October and April. However, its effects can be prolonged for many more months.
Occasionally, El Niño occurs from spring to spring (May to May). There have even been cases where the phenomenon lasts for two consecutive years. Usually El Niño occurs more than La Niña.
Origin of the name of the phenomenon
The name El Niño originated in southern America, specifically in Peru and Ecuador, in the year 1600. The name comes from the fact that in the area the phenomenon occurs in the period of Christmas.
Fishermen in these regions noted that during the Christmas season there was an increase in the temperature of the waters as the fish banks retreated to the bottom of the ocean, leaving the surface.
It was decided to name the phenomenon as"El Niño de Navidad", because it came with the birth of the Baby Jesus. Subsequently, the name was shortened and is now known as"El Niño".
Cause of the El Niño phenomenon
The following are the conditions that occur in the Pacific Ocean before the El Niño phenomenon occurs.
To the west of the ocean, windward and leeward winds push the warm water currents toward the surface of the ocean.
On the other hand, to the east of the ocean (near South America and Central America) a movement of the cold layers of water takes place, which are pushed towards the surface.
This makes a difference in temperature in the ocean waters: in the west faction the waters are warm while in the east faction the waters are colder.
The warm waters of the west make the air warm. In this way, the hot air masses rise and produce drastic climatic changes. On the other hand, to the east, the cold masses of air descend.
All these facts presented produce small changes that will eventually give rise to the phenomenon known as El Niño. In essence, the phenomenon is caused by the interaction of the layers of the Pacific Ocean and the atmosphere on that ocean.
However, it is not known for sure what triggers this increase in temperatures in the ocean. For this reason, not all the"Children"that have appeared in the world are the same: that is, the conditions vary from year to year.
Many people have considered El Niño to be related to global warming . However, it is known that the phenomenon has been present on Earth for thousands of years (if not millions).
For this reason, El Niño and global warming are unlikely to be directly related, since global warming is a recent problem.
Despite this, it has been determined that when global temperatures are high, the effects of El Niño intensify.
Some studies even show that in recent years the phenomenon has become more frequent because of the high temperatures.
Consequences of the phenomenon
The greatest consequences of the El Niño phenomenon are observed in the tropics. Overall, El Niño causes heavy precipitation in the eastern Pacific (on the western coasts of South America) and severe droughts in the west (in India, Indonesia and other parts of Asia).
Similarly, in the years in which El Niño occurs the highest temperatures are recorded around the globe.
This is because the heat accumulated on the surface of the Pacific Ocean is released into the atmosphere, causing a temporary increase in temperatures.
The effects of this phenomenon are most notable during the period between October and April. The worst conditions occur in the month of December and can be extended for another six months (as if it were a side effect).
Among the consequences of the El Niño phenomenon are:
- Decreased atmospheric pressure on the eastern Pacific coast.
- Increased atmospheric pressure on the western Pacific coast.
- El Niño affects the global climate and causes disruption in regular weather patterns. This leads to storms and cyclones in some areas, while others are affected by droughts.
- To the east of the Pacific, El Niño favors the increase of the chances of a hurricane due to the presence of warm air masses.
In South America, cyclones and thunderstorms are frequent due to the displacement of atmospheric heat.
In Asia, especially in South Korea and Japan, warm air currents generated by El Niño cause typhoons.
Some meteorological investigations show that the cold and humid climate in Europe during the winter is related to the El Niño phenomenon.
For example, in 2009, the UK experienced a freezing winter due to this phenomenon.
- In Oceania, El Niño generates a decrease in rainfall. To the south of the continent, there are warm temperatures, which exceed the average of the area.
For its part, in New Zealand, El Niño generates strong winds and frequent during the summer. Also, this phenomenon causes an increase in the rains.
- In Asia, warm currents of water from the Pacific cause droughts in the west and rains in the east (which is usually drier).
El Niño also produces cooling of the oceans, high atmospheric pressure, reduced watercourses, economic problems (mainly in aspects related to agricultural activities) and the disappearance of fish banks on the coast.
- The effects in South America are the most notorious. On the east coast of the continent, the El Niño phenomenon translates into increased rainfall.
In Ecuador and Peru, El Niño generates warm and humid climate (marked by heavy rains). The period of action of this phenomenon is from October to April. When the phenomenon hits these areas with force, it can cause serious flooding.
Meanwhile, on the west coast, El Niño produces an increase in ocean temperatures. This increases fish stocks, which in turn increases seabird populations.
In Brazil and Argentina, the phenomenon generates more humid climatic conditions than usual, especially in spring and summer.
In central Chile, El Niño brings cold winds and abundant rainfall. On the other hand, in the uplands of Bolivia, it is possible to produce snowfall that is not usual.
Finally, in the Orinoco river basin (especially in Colombia and Venezuela), the phenomenon occurs in the form of droughts and warm climatic conditions.
- The extreme climatic conditions generated by El Niño are related to the appearance of epidemic diseases, especially those that are transmitted by mosquitoes.
The malaria and dengue cycles in Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil and India have been found to be directly related to the phenomenon of El Niño.
Similarly, Australian encephalitis (transmitted by mosquitoes) occurs after periods of rains and floods, which are associated with the Southern Oscillation.
- Economically, the El Niño phenomenon translates into agricultural losses due to abrupt climate changes, which mainly affects the developing countries. Similarly, the phenomenon affects fishing as fish leave the surface waters, especially in the months of December and January.
In Asian countries, the El Niño phenomenon is accompanied by a decline in rice production.
Because rice production is essential in these countries, it can be said that El Niño has a negative impact on the Asian economy. In the same way, the production index of this whole zone usually diminishes because of the droughts.
In Oceania countries, El Niño generates the loss of products such as wheat, which is almost as important as rice for Asian countries.
In fact, wheat is one of the main cereals exported by the countries of Oceania. Therefore, El Niño affects the economy of these nations.
- The El Niño phenomenon can affect the production of electricity. For this reason, rationing of water can be carried out in order to favor electric production.
- Because the phenomenon generates strong droughts in some areas, forest fires may occur
- Due to floods, many families lose their homes and belongings, which is a social problem for countries.
- Under normal conditions, the bodies of ocean water circulate from the bottom up because of the difference in temperature. This movement causes the nutrients needed to keep the fish moving to the surface, making them subsist.
However, El Niño disrupts this natural movement of water. Due to the increase of the warm waters, there is less amount of cold water that ascends.
As a result, many species migrate to other regions or die due to lack of nutrients. When fish stocks decline, other animals are also affected.
For example, seabirds and seals are forced to migrate; In other cases, they die.
Prevention
El Niño is a natural event, which means that we humans are not able to prevent it. However, this phenomenon can be predicted by the meteorological centers of the different countries.
In this way, the countries most affected by the changes generated by El Niño can take preventive measures to prevent the phenomenon from creating havoc in their territory.
For example, areas affected by droughts may start reserving water in periods where El Niño is not active and rationing it if necessary.
On the other hand, areas affected by floods can ensure that houses are well equipped to withstand these accidents.
Also, countries can reserve grains of the country's most important products, so that neither drought nor flood can affect the country's agricultural production.
References
- The boy. Retrieved on August 16, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org
- El Niño: A Global Weather Phenomenon. Retrieved on August 16, 2017, from winds.jpl.nasa.gov
- The El Niño Phenomenon. Retrieved on August 16, 2017, from fao.org
- What is El Niño? Retrieved on August 16, 2017, from livescience.com
- The boy. Retrieved on August 16, 2017, from nationalgeographic.org
- What are El Niño and La Niña? Retrieved on August 16, 2017, from oceanservice.noaa.gov
- What is El Niño? What Causes it and what are its Effects. Retrieved on August 16, 2017, from conserve-energy-future.com
- What is El Niño and What are Causes and Effects of El Niño? Retrieved on August 16, 2017, from eartheclipse.com
- What are the effects of El Niño. Retrieved on August 16, 2017, from oc.nps.edu.