El Ni ño Has Begun. What to Know About the Weather Phenomenon

El Niño—the natural climate phenomenon of warm temperature in the Pacific Ocean—has officially begun, and it’s sure to affect weather patterns globally in conjunction with climate change. On Thursday morning, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) announced that El Niño conditions were present and that its strength is expected to gradually increase throughout the year, into 2024. Climate analysts track the Pacific Ocean’s temperatures meticulously and declare a period of El Niño once temperatures near the equator are at least 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit above historical averages for three consecutive months. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Scientists have been anticipating El Niño for months, while also expressing concern over how it may exacerbate the effects of climate change. The extended period of warmth in the Pacific Ocean leads to higher global temperatures, and can impact weather patterns, ecosystems, and economies. “The ocean does a very good job of holding heat,” Alex DaFilva, a meteorologist at AccuWeather, says. “It can release some of that heat and cause global temperatures to be a little bit warmer. This year is probably going to be in the top five years for global temperatures, I think.” Lon Tweeten for TIME; Getty Images Why does El Niño occur? In the Pacific Ocean under standard conditions, trade winds—wind patterns that blow horizontally alo...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized climate change Environment Explainer healthscienceclimate Source Type: news