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El Nino translated into English
meaning "the little boy."
El Nino is a disruption of the
ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific causing
consequences for weather and around the globe. El Nino causes a
major fluctuation in temperatures in the surface
waters in the tropical eastern Pacific ocean.
El Nino can be seen by the measurements of the sea surface
temperatures. Strong winds, which are called trade winds, blow
to the west in the Pacific, and move the warmer surface water
away from North and South America. Therefore, the cold
water from the ocean rises from the depths to the surface off
the west coast of South America.
The trade winds result in a increase in rainfall, storm activity, flooding, and drought conditions. Rainfall follows the warm water eastward, causing flooding in Peru and drought in Indonesia and Australia. The eastward displacement of the atmospheric heat source overlaying the warmest water results in a large change in the global atmospheric circulation, which in turn forces change in weather in regions far from the tropical Pacific.
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The gradual development of
weather and oceanographic conditions as a result of an El Nino
cycle can lead to poor rice farming and fishing seasons that can
last 2 to 3 years in length. an area of economic concern can
lead to military flash points as political leaders strive to
feed their hungry people.
The conditions to watch for an
el Niņo are
Decisions should be make on
the following:
ECONOMIC: Have
agricultural stress factors been noted in North Korea? Are
unique requests for imports (such as rice) being observed (as in
mid-1995)? Have unusually long periods of warm, dry weather been
followed by heavy rains that have produced widespread flooding
throughout the country
The U.S. must understand that an El Nino event is not a threat; however, it is the catalyst that can lead to a real threat. It could be the start of a dangerous game of military brinkmanship brought on by economic hardship, and fueled by a mutual feeling of suspicion and mistrust. If military planners acquire a better understanding of the immediate and long-range effects of an El Nino mechanism, then strategically and logistically the U.S. will continue to have a strong deterrent force in the western Pacific area of operations, regardless of any "current" (i.e. typhoon) weather situation. Typhoon Oscar (inset photo), should continue to be a potential economic concern; it should not be allowed to become the first step in a reenactment of the 15 September 1950 amphibious landing at Inchon.
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Effects on Environment
Some of the greatest effects of El Nino are targeted at forests, natural vegetation, and crop production. This is because El Nino brings increased risks of wildfires and droughts with it. The flammability of vegetation is increased by these droughts while also creating other factors that promote the spread of wildfires.
The effects of El Nino also have a direct impact on the environment. Forest fires have an effect on the emission of greenhouse gases by increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This contributes to global warming. However, fires can also diminish biological diversity, destroy wood and other commodities found in the forest as well as emit smoke which is harmful to the health of mankind.
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-The El Nino phenomenon is believed to
still be affecting crop production in Latin America to this
day. The current El Nino report warns that countries will more
than likely need to import significantly more grain in 1997-1998
than the 30 million tonnes of the previous crop year. Most of
the affects of El Nino deal with drought, although there are
some flood affects as well. Drought has been the main problem
linked to El Nino. The droughts affect subsistence and cash
crops across the region, as well as decreasing the production of
the harvests of rice, maize, coffee, tobacco, bananas, beans,
cassava, and many other food crops. Many farmers have fears
regarding the planting of the crops due to the outcomes of the
drought. While drought is the main problem, El Nino also
affects many southern areas not just by too little rain, but
also excess rain. Floods and heavy rains are expected to lead
to bumper crops and wreaking havoc in many areas. The surface
water temperatures in the current El Nino hit an unusually high
and early peak between March and June of 1997. Other than that,
the current El Nino has generally been following the same
pattern of the strong El Nino of 1982-1983 as shown below in the
figure.
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Sources http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/OCEAN_PLANET/HTML/oceanography_el_nino.htm
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Group #110 Info Trevan Rose |
