What’s going on?
El Niño and its counterpart, La Niña, are climate patterns that occur in the South Pacific Ocean, between Peru and Australia. These two events disrupt the normal conditions of the area in a cycle known as the El Niño- Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
Normally, the trade winds blow west along the equator, bringing warm water from South America to Asia. During El Niño, these winds are weakened, and the water is pushed east towards the Americas.
The upwelling that usually occurs on the Pacific coast of South America is reversed to downwelling during El Niño. Upwelling is an important process that brings nutrients from the deep water to the surface and thus increases productivity, or the production of organic matter by phytoplankton that fuels the food chain. Downwelling brings these nutrients to the bottom of the ocean, meaning there is less available for plankton to use, decreasing the overall abundance of organisms in the ecosystem.
Though El Niño occurs in the South Pacific, it’s impact on the climate is worldwide. El Niño causes dryer and warmer conditions in the northern U.S. and Canada and wetter conditions in the southern U.S. during the wintertime.
Why it matters.
El Niño began in June of this year, and it will have an impact on Florida. Increased precipitation, higher flood risks, and more severe weather events are all possible effects the event will have on the state.
Normally, El Niño subdues hurricane activity in the Atlantic due to increased wind shear. However, because of the abnormally high ocean temperatures, climate scientists are still expecting this hurricane season to be an active one.
What you can do.
El Niño and La Niña are naturally occurring climate events and there is no way to control or prevent them. However, they do have an impact on the global climate and will affect the weather conditions near you. It is important to stay informed about when El Niño is occurring and how that impacts your area.
Just because low hurricane activity is characteristic of El Niño doesn’t mean that is how this hurricane season will be. Remember to stay updated and prepared for this season as if it were any other.
Information from the National Weather Service, NOAA, News4Jax, and Axios Miami.