The Effects of El Nino on Sea Lions
El Nino, also called the "El Nino-Southern Oscillation" or ENSO, is a change in the ocean-atmosphere system in the eastern Pacific that occurs about every five to seven years. It contributes to significant weather changes around the world, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Among these changes are increased rainfall across the southern region of the U.S. and in Peru and drought in the West Pacific, affecting Australia and its neighboring nations.
During El Nino, the winds at the equator blow from west to east in the Pacific. These winds travel along the surface of the ocean and bring warm surface water heated by the tropical sun to the western coasts of North and South America. Rainfall follows the warm water eastward, with associated flooding in Peru and drought in Indonesia and Australia. A key indicator of El Nino is usually warm temperature along and on both sides of the equator in the central and eastern Pacific.
The warming typically starts in the north during late spring or summer and builds to a peak at the end of the year. The events are usually over by the following summer. The changes in ocean temperatures affect the atmosphere. The hot, humid air over the oceans fuels tropical thunderstorms. The hotter the air, the stronger the thunderstorms. As the warmest water spreads, the biggest thunderstorms follow, or move, with it. These thunderstorms pump warm air and humidity more than 50,000 feet into the air. El Nino has had an impact on many nations around the world. Some places got hit with heavy rains and floods, others faced drought, poor crops and starvation. Many different species of fish migrated and coral...
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In small islands the numbers of cyclones are dominated both by El Niño Southern Oscillation and variability, the result is a reallocations of tropical storms and a change in the routes taken by them.
El Nino is both an atmospheric and oceanic phenomenon affecting weather patterns all around the world. It is complemented by La Nina in a cycle that occurs approximately every 4 years, varying as much as every two years to every six years (Wang 1999, 3331). La Nina has almost the opposite effect, however differs in its strength and duration randomly, as does El Nino (Fedorov 2000, 1998). The cycle is often paraphrased as ENSO, standing for El Nino-Southern Oscillation (Flugel 1997, 3230). It is called this because the El Nino phenomenon is especially strong in the Southern Hemisphere, and has greater effects in areas of the pacific near the equator. Although ENSO is prominent in certain areas, it alters weather patterns all around the world. The El Nino pattern can be quite random with and approximate range of 2 to 6 years per cycle, and is a loaded gun believed to be triggered by western winds (Fedorov 2000, 1997). Many scientists are now looking to the past for answers, so the El Nino cycle can be predicted for the years to come. New discoveries have recently been made on El Nino's history, and possible future.
Global warming may also result to an extreme weather apart from cold or heat extremes. For example, hurricane formation. Increase in sea level causes many floods in many places. Another feature of climate change is lightning. According to a study in 2014, a 50 percent increase in the number of lightning strikes in the United States is anticipated in 2100 if worldwide temperatures continue to rise.
An El Niño is a temporary change in the climate of the Pacific Ocean, in the region around the equator. An El Nino occurs when the winds that usually push water around get weaker. When this happens, the warm water piles up and not as much cold water gets pulled up from below. In doing this it provides the El Nino with its trademark, which is increasing the ocean temperature, a few degrees. The difference between an El Nino and a La Nina is just about everything. The La Nina is everything an El Nino is but reversed. Instead of warming taking place in the central and eastern Tropical Pacific cooling takes place. This is caused by instead of the trade winds blowing softer they blow harder cooling down the
... for marine life. During an El Niño event, westerly winds at the western end of the basin permit warm water to flow eastward and trade winds weaken. The storm zone and atmospheric convection move with the warm water resulting in heavy rainfall and flooding along coastal areas of western South America. The thermocline (the boundary layer between the warm surface water and the deeper, colder water) deepens and the cold water isn’t pushed up, which deprives marine life of necessary nutrients. During a La Niña event, trade winds grow stronger and the warm pool shrinks, which results in a colder, drier climate off the coast of America. Atmospheric convection is restricted to the western end of the basin and abundant rain falls over Indonesia. Cold waters along the west coast of South America surge upward and nutrients are plentiful for marine life (El Niño, n.d.).
The change in climate also affect the ocean currents and heat up the land under the water causing tsunamis. For example, The Japan earthquake and tsunami which took place on march 11, 2011.
...An analysis from 1998 states that higher global temperatures may increase the rate of evaporation from the land, which adds moisture to the air, and results in much more severe storms and flooding. In other words, global warming is a potential factor in how severe and long El Niño will be.
Leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) are a species of ice-obligate seals that are widely distributed in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters (Hückstädt, 2015). The most recent circumpolar estimate of leopard seal abundance suggests more than 35,000 individuals, and there does not appear to be a declining trend on these numbers. The IUCN, for this reason, list the leopard seal as Least Concern (Hückstädt, 2015).
There are many causes and consequences of climate change discussed throughout this Encyclical. One of the most important would be the extreme weather. “In recent decades this warming has been accompanied by a constant rise in the sea level and, it would appear, by an increase of extreme weather events, even if a scientifically determined cause
diverse change in weather patterns caused by the jump in temperature worldwide, as well as
As defined by the Oxford dictionary, climate change is, “a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.” (Oxford Dictionaries) Moreover, evidence of climate change can be found all over the world, and in many different forms, but is especially prevalent in certain regions. For instance, in Southeast Asia, specifically the nation of the Philippines, signs of climate change can be observed frequently, if not regularly. One major ...
Of all the effects of global warming, the extreme weather that is taking place all over the world is the most obvious one. Global warming will bring more heat waves, drought, fiercer wildfires and stronger hurricanes. “This intensification of weather and climate extremes will be the most visible impact of global warming in our everyday lives” (75 yrs NWF). Due to rising temperatures, places everywhere will be affected as we get more extremely hot summer days and lesser winters. In addition, as these rising temperatures shifts the cycle of rain and increases evaporation, there will be longer and drier droughts which in turn can lower the water supply for life everywhere. Wildfires can turn out to be even more catastrophic due to warmer temperatures and drier areas combined with accumulated levels of fuel loads in the forest which has built up as a result of decades of fire suppression activities. Moreover, stronger hurricanes are also an effect of global warming as sea levels are rising and heavier rains are falling near the coasts. Overall, global warming is bringing climates that are changing real fast.
During El Niño?s in the Pacific Northwest, the amount of precipitation greatly decreases, the winter temperatures get milder, and winter has below-average precipitation. Some economical and environmental impacts are that erosion is increasing due to severe storm surges, concerns that property built on low-lying areas or on top of unstable bluffs possibly be flooded or threatened by landslides due to regional climate changes, and various salmon species potentially endangered. In California, during El Nino?s they get extreme precipitation and snowfalls. Economical and environmental impacts are heavy precipitation, damage from debris flows or mudslides, and floods from the rain. El Nino seasons in Peru bring so much rainfall that there is now a lake made from the rain, compared to the desert it once was. Several economical and environmental impacts from El Nino include massive floods or mudslides, and since Peru lives in a cold-water zone, it carries many fish that are caught and sold commercially, but during El Nino, a layer of warm water covers the nutrient-rich east coast waters, abruptly stopping the upwelling and the nutrients fail to come up.
earth?s atmosphere starts to warm, which leads to global warming. Global warming can lead to