What is El Niño? Understanding its Impact on Weather and Climate Disruptions
Introduction
El Niño, a term familiar to many, is often associated with dramatic shifts in weather patterns. But what exactly is El Niño, and how does it influence global climate and weather? This article delves into the phenomenon and its far-reaching effects.
Defining El Niño
- Origin of the Name: El Niño, Spanish for “The Little Boy,” originally referred to the periodic warming of sea surface temperatures around Christmas time off the Pacific coast of South America.
- Scientific Definition: In meteorological terms, El Niño is characterized by prolonged warming in the Pacific Ocean sea surface temperatures when compared with the average value.
How Does El Niño Form?
- Normal Conditions: Typically, trade winds blow from east to west across the Pacific Ocean, pushing warm surface waters towards Indonesia and Australia. This allows cooler water to upwell along the coast of South America.
- El Niño Onset: Occasionally, these trade winds weaken or even reverse direction. When this happens, the warm surface water that’s usually found in the western Pacific moves eastward.
- Sustained Warming: For an event to be classified as El Niño, the sea surface temperature anomaly must exceed 0.5°C for at least three consecutive months.
Effects on Weather and Climate
El Niño doesn’t just warm the ocean; it has a domino effect on global weather patterns:
- Rainfall Shifts: Areas like the western Pacific (Australia and Indonesia) can experience drought, while the central and eastern Pacific (like Peru) might face heavy rainfall and flooding.
- Warmer Ocean Temperatures: This can lead to coral bleaching and disrupt marine ecosystems.
- North America Impacts: The southern U.S. often sees wetter-than-average conditions, while the northern U.S. might experience warmer and drier conditions.
- Hurricane and Typhoon Patterns: El Niño tends to suppress Atlantic hurricane activity but can enhance Pacific hurricane activity.
Consequences of El Niño
- Agricultural Disruption: Changes in rainfall can affect crop yields, leading to food shortages or price hikes.
- Water Resources: Droughts or floods can strain local water supplies and infrastructure.
- Economic Impact: Damage to infrastructure, reduced agricultural yields, and other disruptions can have significant economic implications.
- Health Concerns: Stagnant waters from increased rainfall can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, leading to potential outbreaks of diseases like malaria or Zika.
Conclusion
El Niño is more than just a warming of ocean waters; it’s a powerful force that reshapes global weather patterns with far-reaching consequences. By understanding its mechanisms and effects, societies can better prepare for and mitigate its impacts. As climate change continues to influence global weather systems, understanding phenomena like El Niño becomes even more crucial.
Seventy Six Percent of Children Exposed to Extreme High Temperatures in South Asia
South Asia has the highest percentage of children exposed to extremely high temperatures, compared to all other regions, according to a UNICEF analysis.
UNICEF estimates that 76 per cent of children under 18 in South Asia – 460 million – are exposed to extreme high temperatures where 83 or more days in a year exceed 35°C. This means that 3 in 4 children in South Asia are already exposed to extreme high temperature compared to only 1 in 3 children (32 per cent) globally. The analysis is of 2020 data, the latest available.
Read more about the issue on UNICEF’s website here.
Ocean Temperatures Have Reached Highest Recorded Record
Ocean temperatures have reached their highest recorded level, according to the EU’s climate change service Copernicus, with a new record of 20.96°C. This temperature far surpasses the average for this time of year and is indicative of the serious environmental implications of climate change.
Oceans play a vital role in regulating the climate by absorbing heat, producing oxygen, and driving weather patterns. Warmer oceans reduce the ability to absorb carbon dioxide, leading to more greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, accelerating glacier melt, and causing sea levels to rise.
The increase in temperature has a ripple effect on marine life, disturbing species like fish and whales, affecting food chains, and leading to more aggressive behavior in some predatory animals like sharks. This is coupled with widespread coral bleaching and mortality observed in regions like the Gulf of Mexico.
Experts such as Dr. Samantha Burgess are concerned about the timing of this temperature record, as March, not August, should typically be the warmest month for oceans globally. The quick change is alarming to scientists, who are investigating the cause but largely attribute it to climate change and the oceans’ absorption of heat from greenhouse gas emissions.
Another El Niño event has started, though it is still considered weak, and ocean temperatures are expected to rise further. This new temperature record follows several marine heatwaves this year in various locations, including the UK, the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Marine heatwaves have doubled in frequency between 1982 and 2016 and have become more intense and prolonged since the 1980s, as per the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Though oceans take longer to heat up, absorbing 90% of Earth’s warming from greenhouse gas emissions, signs are now emerging that ocean temperatures may be catching up. Scientists are continuing to investigate why temperatures have surged so significantly above previous years.
Wastewater Innovation: Sewage Waste to Biogas
A recent study from Washington State University indicates that sewage waste is a future sustainable resource for biogas. Read more about the research here.
Study: Extracting Elements & Minerals from Wastewater for Sustainable Optimization
A research study by PLOS Water examines the extraction of rare earth elements and minerals from wastewater.
Environmental biotechnologies, leveraging microbial communities, can make signific.ant contributions to combating global climate change by offering sustainable energy and chemical solutions. These technologies harness anaerobic microbial communities to convert organic matter in wastewaters, commonly produced by our food supply systems, into carbon-neutral energy forms like methane gas, hydrogen gas, or organic chemicals used industrially. While methane production through anaerobic digestion of sewage biosolids is an established practice, newer biotechnologies are providing more reliable, cost-effective energy production from various organic wastewaters, yielding outputs with greater economic value than methane. Moreover, these biotechnologies can offer renewable sources of critical materials required for photovoltaic, wind, battery, and catalytic technologies by recovering them from mining and recycling wastewater. Using hydrogen gas, anaerobic bacteria in biofilms carry out reduction reactions, forming nanoparticles that can be used in the aforementioned technologies. These methods position environmental biotechnologies as vital tools for achieving society’s sustainability goals. Read the who research study here.
Reviving Ancient Wisdom: Harnessing Windcatchers for Sustainable Cooling in Modern Architecture
In response to escalating summer temperatures, many Iranians continue to use an ancient, energy-efficient cooling mechanism known as a windcatcher, instead of electricity-reliant air conditioners. A windcatcher is a tall structure, resembling a decorative chimney with multiple open sides, that channels wind from high above into the house below, reducing interior temperature by 8C to 12C. Even without wind, it serves as a solar chimney, drawing in cooler air. While the exact origins of windcatchers are disputed, with some attributing it to ancient Egypt and others to Persia, modern architects are revisiting the design, employing computer-aided tools to maximize its eco-friendly cooling and ventilation capabilities. Read the full article here.
Climate Change & Real Estate Risk in the United States
A 2023 University of California, Berkeley research paper titled “High Temperature, Climate Change and Real Estate Prices” investigates the risk of climate change to real estate in the United States of America. A summary of key points is below. The full paper can be read here.
- The study analyzes the impact of abnormal temperature exposures and climate change beliefs on residential real estate markets in the United States.
- A detailed dataset of abnormal temperature exposures for properties across the US is constructed using granular weather data and information on 32 million transactions from 2000-2021.
- Measures of temperature exposure are created, including the average abnormal temperature experienced at a property location in a transaction month, the number of extreme hot or cold days in that month, and the abnormal number of extreme hot or cold days.
- The study tests whether local temperatures affect house prices, hypothesizing that due to the immobility of residential properties and the risks of climate change, home buyers would demand a price discount due to increasing concerns about future climate risks.
- The results show that abnormal temperature exposure significantly decreases house prices. For instance, a 1-standard deviation increase in abnormal temperature correlates with a decrease of 0.07 percentage points in house prices.
- This negative impact is concentrated in the top quintiles of unusually warm weather. One extra day above 30°C is associated with a 0.04-percentage-point decrease in house prices. Months with more than 20 extremely hot days see a decrease of 2.0 percentage points in house prices.
- The effects of abnormal temperature exposure on house prices are more pronounced in regions with stronger belief in climate change and during periods of increasing public attention to climate change.
- The study finds that the belief in climate change plays a significant role in property pricing, as areas with more climate change believers have a greater negative impact on house prices due to abnormal temperature exposure.
- Using the publication of Stern Review as a quasi-natural experiment, it is found that the effect of abnormal temperature exposure on house prices increased post the Stern Review’s release.
- The study also finds that the discount observed in house prices due to abnormal temperature exposure is not reflected in rental prices, suggesting the discount is linked to future climate change risks, not current property quality.
- The negative impact of abnormal temperature exposure on house prices is stronger in the South, West, and Midwest relative to the Northeast areas, for properties above the median house price, and in locations with relatively inelastic supply.
- The negative impact of abnormal temperature exposure on house prices is significantly stronger in counties exposed to the risk of sea-level rise (SLR).
Fascinating Statistics & Facts on Waste Water Management
Industrial Wastewater Statistics
- 22% of global water use is industrial, causing pollution with untreated wastewater, affecting groundwater and aquifers. Industries utilizing organic raw materials are the most polluting.
- In 2009, North American and European industries accounted for 50% of all water used, a stark contrast to 4-12% in developing countries.
Residential Wastewater Statistics
- Annually, there are 23,000 to 75,000 sanitary sewer overflows, leading to the release of 3 to 10 billion gallons of untreated waste.
- 19% of US homes’ septic systems potentially contribute to contamination.
- 14,748 public-owned water treatment plants serve 238.2 million people.
- 62% of indoor water use is from toilets, showers, and faucets.
Water Contamination Statistics
- 53% of US river/stream miles, 98% of Great Lakes’ shoreline miles, 71% of lake acres, and 79% of estuarine square miles are deemed unsuitable for at least one type of water use.
- 80% of global wastewater returns untreated into the ecosystem, with 1.8 billion people using contaminated water sources.
- Public treatment facilities annually process over 8 million tons of dry-weight sludge, consuming one-third of all its electricity use.
Wastewater Management Statistics
- The country’s sewer systems, totaling 600,000 miles, have a 50-year life expectancy. Treatment equipment lasts between 15 to 20 years.
- In 2012, the U.S. invested $102 billion in wastewater treatment plants, $95 billion on sewer pipe repairs and installations, and $48 billion in correcting combined sewer overflows.
- The country’s 19,000 wastewater collection systems, worth over $1 trillion, can significantly benefit from preventive maintenance.
Future Wastewater Management Statistics
- By 2010, over 400,000 companies worldwide had achieved ISO 14001 environmental management certification.
- California recycled approximately 650,000 acre-feet of water per year in 2010, with plans to increase this to 1-2 million acre-feet per year by 2020 and 2030, respectively.
- More than half of the treated biosolids are used for agricultural, forestry, urban parks, and reclamation purposes.
- Treated wastewater could boost water supply in coastal cities by 27%.
- Florida reuses approximately 719 million gallons of reclaimed water daily, leading the nation in water reuse.
Climate Change to Displace Billions: The Stark Reality of Our Environmental Future
A recent study published in the journal Nature Sustainability warns of climate change drastically altering the habitable regions of our planet, potentially displacing between one-third and half of humanity by the end of the century. This equates to between 3 to 6 billion people facing severe environmental hardships including extreme heat, food scarcity, and increased death rates, if emissions aren’t drastically reduced and mass migration isn’t accommodated.
The research, led by Timothy Lenton from the University of Exeter in the U.K., highlights the ethical implications of climate change, as the impacts will not be uniformly distributed. The most impoverished regions will bear the brunt of climate disruption, creating a compelling moral case for prompt and aggressive action to curb climate change.
The Concept of a “Climate Niche”
The concept of a “climate niche,” defined as a specific range of temperatures and precipitation levels where humans thrive, is central to this study. The researchers predict that as the Earth warms, these conditions will become increasingly elusive. By 2070, nearly 20% of the Earth’s surface could become intolerably hot, with an estimated 3.7 billion people displaced from their climatic niche by 2090 under current carbon emissions trajectory.
If global temperatures increase by 3.6 degrees and fossil fuel use continues unabated, this could pose “an existential risk,” affecting half the projected total population, or as many as 6.5 billion people. The study also warns of an approaching tipping point. Even minor increases in average global temperature will begin to have significant effects. Each additional tenth of a degree could push 140 million more people outside of their climate niche.
The Importance of Slowing Global Emissions
However, slowing global emissions could significantly reduce the number of people displaced or grappling with extreme conditions. If warming is limited to the 1.5 degrees Celsius targeted by the Paris accords, half as many people would be left outside of the optimal zone, and the population suffering from extreme heat would be reduced fivefold.
The study also criticizes the traditional economic framework that often portrays the implications of global warming in terms of monetary impacts, arguing that this approach is unethical and overlooks the more profound moral implications.
Disproportionate Impact on Poorer Regions
The findings show a disturbing trend: climate change will hit poorer parts of the world disproportionately hard, essentially condemning the residents of developing nations and small island states to extreme temperatures, failed crops, conflict, water and food scarcity, and rising mortality rates. Ultimately, for many, the only option will be migration.
Among the countries most affected, India tops the list with over 600 million residents facing extreme heat conditions, six times more than if the Paris targets were achieved. Nigeria, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Brazil also face serious challenges, with the latter three seeing vast areas of land becoming less habitable.
In wealthier nations like the United States, the impacts may seem less severe. Still, regions like the South and Southwest are expected to trend toward the hotter end of the climate niche, leading to higher mortality and driving internal migration northward.
Our Responsibility
The study makes it clear: reducing consumption today is critical. It suggests a direct correlation between the actions of individuals in high-emitting countries and the future suffering of people in more vulnerable regions. “Each American today emits nearly enough emissions over their lifetime to push one Indian or Nigerian of the future outside of their climate niche,” states the study, underlining the gravity of our individual contributions to this global crisis. The call to action is clear: we must take responsibility for our emissions and strive for a more sustainable lifestyle
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