There is drought, forest fires and record heat in several parts of the world, and soon the weather phenomenon El Niño may occur. Now the UN is warning of further heat records.
– This will change the weather and climate all over the world, says Wilfran Moufouma Okia, head of forecasting at WMO according to The Guardian.
It is unusually warm in many parts of the world. In parts of Southeast Asia, several heat records have been broken and since March, Thailand has had temperatures around 40 degrees. In the capital, Bangkok, residents are asked to stay indoors.
High temperatures are also noted in southern Europe and northern Africa. In northern Italy, drinking water is running out after a winter of low rainfall. In Spain, the government has set aside a crisis package of almost SEK 25 billion to help farmers deal with the extreme drought.
– The Mediterranean area is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change in Europe. The region is already experiencing a very intense and prolonged drought, and these high temperatures at a time of year when it should be raining are exacerbating the situation, Friederike Otto, senior lecturer in climate science at the Grantham Institute, said in a statement.
High sea temperatures
Something that also worries the researchers is the high sea temperatures. In April, the average temperature in the world’s oceans was measured at 21.1 degrees, according to SMHI. It is the highest temperature that has been measured since the US weather agency NOAA began its measurements.
That the oceans are so warm even before El Niño is alarming, says researcher. If the weather phenomenon El Niño occurs, it will mean higher temperatures globally and new heat records. According to the latest forecast from the World Meteorological Organization, there is an 80 percent chance that El Niño will begin before October.
Extreme weather patterns
El Niño is a natural weather phenomenon and means a deviation from the normal state, which causes the surface water temperature and weather conditions in the tropical parts of the Pacific Ocean to change. It can result in extreme weather patterns.
– The development of El Niño will most likely lead to a new peak in global warming and increase the risk of temperature records, says WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas in a statement.
– The world should prepare for El Niño, which is often associated
d with increased heat, drought or rain in different parts of the world.
El Niño is a climate phenomenon that occurs in the Pacific Ocean and can affect the weather worldwide. Typically, it is a periodic warming of the ocean waters off the coast of South America, which occurs every three to seven years, and can affect the air pressure and winds around the equator.
When El Niño occurs, sea surface temperatures increase and ocean currents in the Pacific Ocean change their normal direction and strength. This could have a number of consequences for the weather across the globe, and for the climate, where we may see new heat records.
The El Niño phenomenon has been studied by scientists for decades, but much remains unknown about its causes and effects.
Source: SMHI