Scientists have announced the beginning of the phenomenon of El Niño – Kommersant

American scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have confirmed that the natural phenomenon of El Niño, about the possible beginning of which this year experts spoke a few months ago, has begun. Experts give their opinion BBCthat El Niño, which is accompanied by rising sea surface temperatures, could lead to 2024 being the hottest year on record. Before that, the record was in 2016.

Signs of an El Niño onset were that during the month, the water temperature in the Pacific Ocean was 0.5 degrees warmer than normal for that month. NOAA scientist Michelle L’Hero told the BBC they are confident that the signs observed will increase. “In the last week, the increase was 0.8 degrees, which is even higher than in May,” she notes.

Experts predict that El Niño will significantly affect the weather in different regions – it can bring drought to Australia, increase rainfall in the southern United States, and also weaken the monsoons in India. “A new record for global temperatures next year is very likely,” said Adam Skaife, head of long-range forecasting at the UK Met Office. “It all depends on how big El Niño turns out to be. If by the end of this year it turns out that the scale is serious, then the chances are high that we will have a new record.”

Record-breaking hot years usually occur the year after El Niño arrives. Scientists fear that this time El Niño will lead to an increase in average air temperatures on the planet by one and a half degrees, with all the ensuing consequences, including economic ones. For comparison: El Niño in 1997-1998 cost the world $ 5 trillion, and then because of the storms and floods caused by this phenomenon, about 23 thousand people died.

Alena Miklashevskaya