El Nino is a phenomenon where the surface of the water bodies, especially oceans, get warmer above a certain degree. This results in reducing the monsoon rainfalls as it suppresses the rain.
It has not been seen for the past 7 years but now is showing signs of emerging. Warming up of the water surface has proved to cause extreme conditions related to weather and can cause droughts, floods or even cyclones.
Image source: Bob Nichols, USDA
The World Meteorological Organization, a global organisation, has confirmed in their report that El Nino is returning and might break the hottest climate record of 2016 soon. Though the phenomenon has not happened in recent years, it has not brought down the temperature due to an increase in CO2 emissions.
With the return of El Nino, it might become even hotter as both global warming and the former will combine to cause extreme situations.
Predictions of the World Meteorological Organisation about El Nino
The WMO has predicted that with the Return of El Nino, the world might face one of the warmest seasons in the coming years. They said that the next five years might break the record of the warmest climate recorded and overall all five years will be warmer as compared to previous years.
Image source: Ayo Jakarta
The Head of the Regional Climate Prediction Service, Wilfran Moufouma Okia, at WMO, are not able to predict which year will become the warmest. But the next five years will record high warm as compared to previous years and can cause many problems to not only humans but also other living beings like marine life, the Jungle and others.
El Nino Pattern
When El Nino occurs, it means that the west winds near the equator slow down which results in warm water getting pushed to the east, and causing the surface of the oceans to have higher temperatures.
Image source: Wonderopolis
According to previous observations, El Nino can occur between every 2 to 7 years on average. The peak usually is seen during December. This phenomenon can last up to 12 months. The shortest can last up to 9 months, according to WMO.
Causes of El Nino
Though the effects of the phenomenon are different based on the geographical locations of the continents and countries, it is a fact that El Nino can cause great damage. For India, experiencing this phenomenon usually reduces the rainfall of the country and severe droughts can be seen in several states.
As a Country engaged in the agriculture industry where the majority of the population is in this or similar trade, droughts can cause serious damage to the livelihood of these people. Reduced rainfall can affect the quality of crops and also reduce their quantity. With droughts, the countries might face a shortage of fresh food which might make the prices of food products rise. This will cause an imbalance in the economy of the country and make all the citizens suffer.
Some countries might face the opposite situation and get heavy rainfall. This will result in the flooding of the area, destroying properties and taking people’s lives. As floods are natural disasters, it is inevitable to prevent all damages.
Conclusion
Due to another appearance of El Nino, the temperature is expected to get worse than it already is. To avoid extreme situations it is impossible to control a natural phenomenon like El Nino but the world can surely work towards controlling the carbon emission released annually.
