EL
NINO - GEOGRAPHY
News: 2023-24 El Nino among five strongest on record, will continue fuelling
heat in 2024: WMO
What's in the news?
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Recently, the World
Meteorological Organization said that 2023-24 El Nino has peaked as one of the
five strongest on record and will continue to impact global climate in the
coming months despite a weakening trend.
El Nino:
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El Niño is the warming of seawater in the central-east
Equatorial Pacific that occurs every few years.
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During El Niño, surface
temperatures in the equatorial Pacific rise, and trade winds — east-west winds that blow near the Equator — weaken.
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Normally, easterly trade
winds blow from the Americas towards Asia.
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Due to El Niño, they
falter and change direction to turn into
westerlies, bringing warm water from the western Pacific towards the Americas.
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It occurs every 3-6 years
and lasts for about 9-12 months.
Impacts of El-Nino:
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It can cause droughts, flooding, and changes in
temperature.
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It can lead to
below-normal rainfall, which affects India’s agricultural sector.