La Niña is Over, El Niño is Coming
Created By RISC | 2 years ago
Last modified date : 2 years ago
You’re heard of El Niño and La Niña but did you know how these weather patterns will affect your life this year?
El Niño and La Niña are natural phenomena caused by a change in the relationship between the tides and the atmosphere near the equator in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, known as the El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which cause abrupt weather shifts.
In normal conditions (ENSO-Neutral), the trade winds carry warm tides on the surface of the Pacific Ocean from east to west around the equator in the eastern Pacific Ocean, causing rainfall in Southeast Asia and Australia. At the same time, cold tides will replace warm currents along South America's coastline where trade winds blow away to the east, making the coastlines of Peru, Ecuador, and Chile rich in marine resources.
If an El Niño occurs, however, the tides and atmosphere will change. Drought will be severe in Southeast Asia and Australia, while the coastlines of Peru, Ecuador, and Chile will lose their abundance of marine resources. If La Niña occurs recently, there will be more rainfall than usual in Southeast Asia and Australia, as well as severe drought in Northern South America.
Thailand was affected by an unusually severe and long-lasting La Niña from September 2020 to February 2023, occurring for 3 consecutive years for the first time in the 21st century. Furthermore, Thailand and many other countries around the world have experienced unusually heavy rain, resulting in flash floods and wild water flowing in many areas, as well as a dry spell that has a direct impact on the agricultural sector.
The most recent World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report finds that La Niña has now weakened into a neutral state, or ENSO-Neutral, during March-May. According to a report from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there is also an increasing chance of an El Niño during June until the end of 2023. El Niño is expected to cause severe drought in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, including Australia.
El Niño and La Niña are natural phenomena that have existed for thousands of years. The longer they last, however, the more severe they become. They are also caused by climate change, which is primarily caused by various human activities, both directly and indirectly. As a result, reducing greenhouse gas emissions for all of us and all sectors is an important step toward saving the planet and ensuring that all living creatures can continue to exist in the future.
Story by: Sirapach Mangkang, Geographic Information System (GIS) specialist, RISC
References:
http://www.lesa.biz/earth/hydrosphere/elnino
https://ngthai.com/science/26980/elnino-lanina/
https://www.bbc.com/thai/articles/c13xz00lzpzo
https://community.wmo.int/en/activity-areas/climate/wmo-el-ninola-nina-updates#archive
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.shtml