El Niño will reach strength not seen in 40 years. Disturbing forecasts

What is El Niño?

El Niño is a natural weather and ocean phenomenon that causes above-average temperatures on the water surface in the equatorial zone of the Pacific Ocean.

Under normal conditions, constant easterly winds (trade winds) push warm surface waters west of the Pacific Ocean, towards Asia and Australia. During El Niño, these trade winds weaken or blow in the opposite direction. Warm water spreads eastwards (towards the coast of South America), which blocks the so-called upwelling – the outflow of cool, nutrient-rich deep waters off the coast of Peru and Ecuador.

El Niño is the warm phase of the cycle called ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation), the opposite of which is the cold phase called La Niña.

What does El Niño mean in practice?

The main effects of El Niño in South America are heavy downpours, floods and the collapse of the fishing industry due to the loss of plankton in warmer water. Southeast Asia and Australia are experiencing severe droughts, bushfires and water shortages. Global impacts include increases in average global temperatures, weather anomalies, and impacts on economies such as changes in food prices.

Climatologists started warning about a record-breaking El Niño this spring.