By observing data from the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, NASA has identified the first indications of a possible El Niño from space.
During the months of March and April, Kelvin waves were observed moving across the Pacific Ocean towards the west coast of South America.
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These waves, which are only 5 to 10 centimeters high, are hundreds of kilometers wide. When they form in Ecuador and displace the upper layer of warm water towards the western Pacific, they can be considered a precursor to the El Niño phenomenon.
The Project Scientist Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, Josh Willis, expressed that they will be monitoring the development of this El Niño with great attention.
According to Willis, if this climatic event manifests itself in an intense way, it could result in an unprecedented global warming.
How does the El Niño phenomenon happen?
El Niño is a component of the climate cycle known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
In this cycle, the trade winds, which are predominant easterly winds along the equator, blow the waters surface waters from west to east across the Pacific Ocean, displacing warm South American waters that goes to Asia.
This movement results in a process where cold water rises to replace the displaced hot water.
El Niño is associated with a weakening of the trade winds, which results in the displacement of warm water towards the east. This phenomenon has a significant impact on global weather patterns.
In the United States, El Niño generally results in wetter weather conditions in the southern regions and warmer weather in the northwest areas. These changes can affect the distribution of rainfall, temperatures and weather patterns across the country.
El Niño's counterpart, called La Niña, has the opposite effect, with stronger trade winds pushing even more warm water westward.
El Niño occurs approximately every three to five years, although its frequency can vary. The most recent El Niño event was recorded in 2019 and lasted for six months, spanning the months of February to August.
During this period, significant changes in global weather patterns were observed, resulting in specific impacts in different regions of the world.
The NOAA and NASA agencies are committed to monitoring conditions in the Pacific Ocean in the coming months in order to determine the occurrence and intensity of El Niño. This continuous surveillance will make it possible to predict the possible impacts of this phenomenon.
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