What natural phenomena with beautiful names lead to natural disasters.
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A severe drought has continued in Uruguay since October. The authorities have declared a state of emergency. It will remain in effect until at least April.
Due to the drought in a number of regions of the country, there was a shortage of drinking water, vegetables, fruits and electricity. Most of Uruguay’s electricity comes from alternative sources, among which hydropower plays a critical role. Due to the shallowing of the rivers, they are actually idle.
Baby La Nina: what is this natural phenomenon
The published footage shows the consequences of Hurricane Ian, which hit the Atlantic coast of the United States in the fall of 2022. The main blow fell on Florida. There, the elements destroyed hundreds of buildings and took dozens of lives. Experts estimated the damage to the country’s economy at $60 billion. But that’s nothing compared to the devastation that natural disasters will cause this year.
Experts say that the restoration of cities around the world will take at least a trillion dollars. It’s all about a natural phenomenon called La Niña.
“Girl” or “baby” – this is how La Nina is translated from Spanish. Despite the cute name, this natural phenomenon is extremely dangerous.
“La Niña is a climatic phenomenon that periodically occurs in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. What is happening? Strong winds blow away the surface warm layer of water off the coast of South America and carry it away towards Asia. As a result, in the region of the American continent, the water becomes more cold,” meteorologist William Huzinga said.
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La Niña is a very unpredictable phenomenon with varying frequency of occurrence and duration. The current phase is now in its third year, meteorologists say. Nothing good can be expected from such a climatic phenomenon. La Niña adversely affects the weather around the world.
“This flow, which is from east to west across the Pacific Ocean, has been operating for the third year, it has led to the fact that droughts have begun in North America, the south of the United States of America, in Mexico, in Latin America. And on the other hand, on the other the end of the Pacific Ocean, where this wind blows – this is Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand – massive floods began last year. Not just floods, but with the death of people, with the flooding of the mines that were built there. That is also a disaster, “said the ecologist Andrey Frolov.
The terrifying effect of La Nina was also felt by the inhabitants of Japan. At the end of last year, Typhoon Nanmadol hit the Land of the Rising Sun. He swept away everything in his path. Dozens of people were injured, at least two died, and millions had to be evacuated.
According to Japanese meteorologists, Nanmadol has become one of the strongest hurricanes in recent decades.
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“The wind speed of a tropical hurricane is comparable to the speed of Formula 1 cars, it is more than two hundred kilometers per hour. Waves of 6-8 meters, that is, they can only withstand such capital brick buildings. And everything else blows like a straw,” the meteorologist said Yuri Varakin.
But La Niña doesn’t stop there. According to the most pessimistic forecasts, the climate phenomenon will last until mid-2023 and bring many more cataclysms. And La Niña will be replaced by its antipode – El Niño.
“El Niño is a mirror image of La Niña. That is, the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean do not cool, but, on the contrary, heat up. As a result, it becomes more humid in South America. And in Asia, on the contrary, it is drier,” said meteorologist William Huzinga.
El Niño is Spanish for “baby”. This name was given to this natural phenomenon by Peruvian sailors. Back in the 19th century, they noticed that sometimes before Christmas, the water in the ocean suddenly heats up and moves away from the shore. Scientists paid attention to this phenomenon only at the beginning of the 20th century.
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“In 1923, it was scientifically described for the first time, so to speak, and they began to investigate this phenomenon, what is there. And in general, it was clear that this was some kind of deviation from the norm. And recent observations showed that after 1950, here these failures turned out to be more disastrous, more global,” said environmentalist Andrey Frolov.
Climate scientists predict that El Niño threatens to record a rise in global temperatures. It is possible that the summer of 2024 will be the hottest on record. In addition, in China, East Africa and the southern United States, the risk of flooding will increase. But in Australia, in southern Africa and in Indonesia, droughts are expected.
“The climate is changing not only in the Pacific Ocean, but in general on the planet. Because the circulation of water, it leads to the fact that these waves of warm and cold air spread further from the Pacific Ocean. Let’s say if El Niño occurs and there is a drought in Australia and New Zealand, the same process is beginning in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan,” commented environmentalist Frolov.
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Baby El Niño: what natural disasters leads to
El Niño is also a very unpredictable phenomenon. It happens at irregular intervals. But every time it responds with terrible cataclysms. In 2019, devastating wildfires broke out in Australia due to El Niño. The fire destroyed 18 million hectares of forests, destroyed more than two thousand buildings. 34 people became victims of the natural disaster. In addition, about three billion animals have died or been affected.
El Niño and La Niña can even lead to revolutions and civil wars. According to American scientists, armed clashes in Sudan in the 70s or in Peru in the 80s occurred at the time of El Niño. And there are many such examples. In total, according to experts, about 20 percent of all conflicts from 1950 to 2004 coincided with the active phase of this natural phenomenon. During the La Niña period, there were half as many civil wars. But how are climate anomalies related to hostilities?
“The harvest turns out to be half as much, respectively, food prices have risen, and people simply cannot feed themselves and their families, they need to do something. inciting a civil war or ethnic hatred, something else, they use it. Because people who simply have nothing to eat, they believe that the government or someone else is to blame,” said environmentalist Frolov.
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Scientists say that in order to stop El Niño and La Niña, it is necessary to change the temperature of the Pacific Ocean. This will require 400 thousand hydrogen bombs with a capacity of 20 megatons each. Due to the explosions, the water will heat up. But then it will need to be cooled again. Of course, this method is only hypothetical.
In practice, detonating hydrogen bombs in the ocean to change the climate is too dangerous. Therefore, people are not yet able to stop El Niño and La Niña. The only thing that can be done is to prepare as effectively as possible for the arrival of natural disasters.
