El Niño killing young coral reef fish, biologists find

El Nino killing young coral reef fish, biologists find

Unusually warm Pacific Ocean temps affecting food sources for fish

OurAmazingPlanet

updated 12/10/2010 5:10:26 PM ET

The unusually warm Pacific Ocean temperatures ushered in by El Niño can have a profound impact on the fish populations surrounding South Pacific coral reefs, a new study finds.

An international team of biologists studied the arrival of young fish to the coral atoll of Rangiroa in French Polynesia for four years and compared their results with satellite and oceanographic data. They found that the El Niño event caused a sudden collapse in the plankton community and this led to a near absence of the young fish required to replenish adult stocks.

Young coral reef fish aren't raised the way human children are: Rather than caring for their young, the adult fish disperse them into the open waters off the reef where they drift with the currents while they grow and develop into small juveniles, at which point they make their way back to the reef.

This process allows these baby fish to feed on plankton and escape the predators that would consume them if they had to grow up on the reef with adults. But in a changing climate, this dispersal into the haven of open water could now become an area of death for coral reef fishes.

The team of biologists counted the number of fish that returned to the reef from the open ocean over a period of time that included the intense 13-month El Niño event of 1997-1998.

"Near to the equator, fish arrive throughout the year to replenish adult populations. In contrast, during the El Niño event at Rangiroa, when temperatures climbed up to 3.5 degrees Celsius [6.3 degrees Fahrenheit] above the seasonal average, we found that the young fish virtually disappeared," said team member Steve Simpson of the University of Bristol in England.

"Analysis of satellite images around Rangiroa suggested that plankton, the food supply for many baby and adult reef fishes, declined dramatically during the warm waters of El Niño. As a consequence, adults struggled to produce offspring and young fishes were likely to starve when in open waters off reefs," Simpson added.

"Just one to two months after the onset of the warm conditions, the next generation of young fish stopped arriving so that adult stocks were no longer being re-supplied."

The findings, detailed in the journal Global Change Biology, are worrying, the study’s authors said, given that climate change is also increasing ocean water temperaturesand could increase the frequency of El Niño events.

"Coral reef fisheries provide food and livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people throughout the world and underpin a multibillion-dollar tourism industry,” Simpson said. “Our study shows that warmer waters may leave fish stocks on reefs in serious trouble, which will have far-reaching consequences for the people around the globe who are dependent upon them."

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40610916/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Adios El Niño, Hello La Niña?

Adios El Niño, Hello La Niña?

06.22.10

The latest data from the NASA/European Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 satellite show that the tropical Pacific has switched from warm, or higher-than-normal sea surface heights (shown in red) to cold, or lower-than-normal sea surface heights (shown in blue) during the last few months. Image Credit: NASA/JPL Ocean Surface Topography Team
› Full image and caption

The latest image of Pacific Ocean sea surface heights from the NASA/European Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 oceanography satellite, dated June 11, 2010, shows that the tropical Pacific has switched from warm (red) to cold (blue) during the last few months. The blue area in the center of the image depicts the recent appearance of cold water hugging the equator, which the satellite measures as a region of lower-than-normal sea level. Remnants of the El Niño warm water pool, shown here in red and yellow, still linger north and south of the equator in the center of the image.

The image shows sea surface height relative to normal ocean conditions. Red (warmer) areas are about 10 centimeters (4 inches) above normal. Green areas indicate near-normal conditions. Purple (cooler) areas are 14 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7 inches) below normal. Blue areas are 5 to 13 centimeters (2 to 5 inches) below normal.

"The central equatorial Pacific Ocean could stay colder than normal into summer and beyond. That's because sea level is already about 10 centimeters (4 inches) below normal, creating a significant deficit of the heat stored in the upper ocean," said JPL oceanographer and climatologist Bill Patzert. "The next few months will reveal if the current cooling trend will eventually evolve into a long-lasting La Niña situation."

A La Niña is essentially the opposite of an El Niño. During a La Niña, trade winds in the western equatorial Pacific are stronger than normal, and the cold water that normally exists along the coast of South America extends to the central equatorial Pacific. La Niñas change global weather patterns and are associated with less moisture in the air, resulting in less rain along the coasts of North and South America. They also tend to increase the formation of tropical storms in the Atlantic.

"For the American Southwest, La Niñas usually bring a dry winter, not good news for a region that has experienced normal rain and snowpack only once in the past five winters," said Patzert.

For more information on El Niño, La Niña and Jason-2, visit: http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov

Alan Buis
818-354-0880
alan.buis@jpl.nasa.gov

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/lanina20100622.html

UN Reports End To El Niño Pattern Over The Pacific Wednesday, 7 July 2010, 10:26 am Press Release: United Nations

UN Meteorological Agency Reports End To El Niño Pattern Over The Pacific

New York, Jul 6 2010 2:10PM
The weather pattern known as El Niño rapidly dissipated in early May, giving way to the development of cool, neutral to weak La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean, the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported today.

El Niño refers to an abnormal warming of surface ocean waters in the eastern tropical Pacific, while La Niña is characterized by unusually cool ocean temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific. Both events can disrupt the normal patterns of tropical precipitation and atmospheric circulation, and have widespread impacts on climate in many parts of the world.

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The prevailing conditions are more likely than not to strengthen into a basin-wide La Niña over the coming months, according to the El Niño/La Niña update issued by WMO.

By mid-June, the sea-surface temperatures had decreased to approximately 0.5 degrees Celsius below normal over the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, near the borderline of La Niña conditions.

Further, below average sea temperatures exist beneath the surface of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. Forecast models continue to predict further decreases in the central and eastern Equatorial Pacific sea-surface temperature. In particular, most dynamic models strongly favour further La Niña development, according to WMO.

While it is likely that La Niña conditions will further develop in the next several months, the timing and magnitude of such an event in 2010 are as yet uncertain, with no indications at this time of a particularly strong event in terms of sea-surface temperatures.

The unusual climate patterns and extremes that occur in association with La Niña conditions also occur independently of La Niña, and therefore individual users of climate information should seek detailed interpretation for their locations and sectors, WMO said in the update.

Over the coming months, the climate forecasting community will provide detailed interpretations of regional climate conditions through the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, it added.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1007/S00115.htm

Snow, floods, heatwaves as El Niño wallops the Americas

By Marc Burleigh
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 06:04:00 02/11/2010

Filed Under: Weather, Meteorological disaster

SAO PAULO—Blizzards in the United States, a heatwave in Brazil, killer floods in Mexico, drought in Ecuador -- according to meteorological services, freak weather being felt right across the Americas can be blamed on El Niño.

The phenomenon, in which unusually hot surface temperatures along the middle of the Pacific Ocean disrupt atmospheric systems, has created storms throughout the continent and resulted in several emergencies being declared.

Thus, New York and Washington residents were hunkering down under a mountain of snow that closed schools, federal government offices and the UN headquarters. Flights into New York were also disrupted.

In sharp contrast, at the other end of the continent, Rio de Janeiro was sweating under its worst heatwave in 50 years, with temperatures soaring higher than those found in the Sahara desert, according to Brazil's Inmet weather service.

On Tuesday, in fact, the 46.3 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit) recorded in Rio was unsurpassed worldwide, except in the town of Ada in eastern Ghana which came in two degrees higher, according to data from the World Meteorological Organization.

But deadly floods were the fallout for several other regions on the continent.

Brazil's Sao Paulo state, neighboring Rio de Janeiro, has had nearly two months of rains that have killed more than 70 people.

Mexico has dug 42 bodies out of flood-hit homes in its west as unexpected rains struck half the country. A temporary collapse of Mexico City's drainage system and overflowing sewage triggered emergency measures.

Another 10 people have died in Bolivia, where a deluge also affected 22,000 families and large tracts of farmland.

In Peru, authorities were grappling with flooding that cut off its famed Machu Picchu Incan ruins, forcing the evacuation by air late last month of 2,200 tourists stranded there.

In Argentina, a state of emergency was declared in Buenos Aires as fears mounted that the big Parana river was about to break its banks.

On the equator, the problem was too little, not too much, water.

Ecuador was suffering its worst drought in 40 years. Venezuela, faced with similar low water levels in its main hydroelectric plant, was put under an "electricity emergency" Monday by President Hugo Chavez.

Brazil's Weather Forecasting and Climatic Studies Center said El Niño would continue to affect the country to the end of March notably by imposing dry conditions on the north.

The US government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration posted a thermographic image of El Niño on its website, showing a mass of red representing high ocean temperatures across the Pacific, from Australia to Central America.

Klaus Wolter, a climatologist at the University of Colorado, told AFP last week that the heavy snow storms in the United States -- nicknamed "Snowmaggeddon" then "Snoverkill" by the media there -- were likely exacerbated by the phenomenon.

"There are at least two players in this game: El Niño and what the North Atlantic is doing," Wolter said, explaining that the ocean on the other side of the Americas influenced the arctic temperatures in Europe.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20100211-252531/Snow-floods-heatwaves-as-El-Nio-wallops-the-Americas

El Niño to peak in 2010

El Niño to peak in 2010; adverse impact on agri seen

By George M. De La Cruz

A WEAK El Niño that started early May, causing unusual warming of sea surface temperatures along the equatorial Pacific, will reach its peak in the last quarter of this year and the first quarter of 2010, the weather bureau said.

Sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific were rising by between 0.5 degrees to 1.5 degrees centigrade, reported the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa).

For updates from around the country, follow Sun.Star on Twitter

Despite the rains the past few days, Pag-asa said the country could be in for a dry spell by the end of the year while the impact of El Niño could be felt starting October to December this year and could peak from December to February next year.

Persistence of these present conditions in the tropical Pacific will continue to affect the rainfall patterns in the country for the coming season, threatening adverse impact on domestic water supply, agriculture, and day-to-day weather condition, Pag-asa added.

El Niño is the abnormal warming of the Pacific which has caused changes in sea-surface temperatures resulting in caused climatic changes: drought or heavy rains and even erratic storms.

The Department of Agriculture announced that the El Niño phenomenon may affect palay (paddy rice) production in the first and second quarter of 2010, resulting in a decline in production.

Last year’s production level was 16.82 million metric tons while this year’s target is 17.81 million metric tons.

“The first half of this year was still on track to achieving the target,” said Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.

Provincial Agriculturist Igmedio Tabianan earlier said the province is at least 90 percent sufficient in rice production because of higher yields in palay production.

Agriculture experts consolidating weather reports and advisories said that when El Niño (causing drought) hits as forecasted, it will have ill effects on the agriculture sector.

Rainfall assessment for the month of August was unusually below normal, particularly in the western part of the country. This may be attributed to the below average frequency of tropical cyclone (TC) during the period where only one TC occurred, compared to an average of three, an early manifestation of El Niño impact, Pagasa said.

It added it will continue to closely monitor these conditions and to issue regular updates or advisories.

Concerned agencies are advised to take precautionary measures to mitigate the potential adverse impacts of the El Niño event.

Published in the Sun.Star Bacolod newspaper on September 16, 2009.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/el-niño-peak-2010-adverse-impact-agri-seen