NOAA

What to Note About This Phenomenon ENSO, or El Niño Southern Oscillation, is a cycle that occurs in the tropical Pacific Ocean every few years. It is one of the most extreme year-to-year swings in the Earth’s climate system, influencing agriculture, public health, freshwater supply, power generation, and global economic activity. As the climate warms, excessive rainfall is expected to travel eastward along the Pacific Ocean equator during El Niño occurrences and in the opposite direction during El Niña events. Other effects of ENSO include extensive coral bleaching and increased Pacific tropical cyclone activity. In light of the El Niño phenomenon, we must not only prepare water for our daily needs during the drought, but we must also prepare our physical condition to reduce susceptibility to diseases. Proper rest, consuming foods high in vitamins and protein (eggs, fruits, and vegetables), are several things that can be done to keep the body in good physical condition. Furthermore, always inspect the area around your home for stagnant water, dampness, or poor lighting. These conditions create ideal breeding grounds for mosquitos, which spread dengue fever and malaria. The increase of dengue fever and malaria comes from 2 effects of El Niño: unusual rainfall also increases breeding grounds for disease transmission media, such as mosquitoes, accompanied by an increase in temperature also directly increases the transmission of rapidly transmitted diseases. This rise in temperature causes water sources to dry up. Heat waves will occur when the temperature rises, costing numerous lives. It can lead humans to overproduce sweat in order to maintain body temperature, causing the body’s organs to work very hard, resulting in fever owing to high temperatures and dehydration due to excessive oil production. In relation to heat waves and El Niño, food safety is also a topic of concern during this phenomenon. Not only does the body need enough water, it also needs nutrients to maintain body temperature. Due to the effects of El Niño, it affects the crop failures that commonly occur in South and Southeast Asia. The rice harvest in these areas will be considerably less than usual, rice trade will be much more difficult, and eventually the price of rice will rise. Maintaining groceries in a place that is not exposed to direct sunlight, not humid, or in the refrigerator (eggs, and some other ingredients to maintain freshness) is a simple way to keep nutrients that will be consumed to maintain body temperature. The culmination of several problems caused by the mini-style phenomenon is economic impact. Like health that must be taken care of, diseases that arise due to drought, and food needs, everything depends on money. In order to maintain our health and avoid infectious diseases, we will spend money on immune supplements and vitamins, items to avoid mosquito bites, and more than usual shopping in preparation for the rush. The Panama Canal, a hub of global trade, was disrupted by low rainfall, causing operators to restrict traffic and resulting in a $200 million drop in revenue. In addition, losses in agricultural products, the need for medicines in hospitals are also indirectly affected by this natural phenomenon due to changing ocean currents. After learning about El Niño, and its devastating effects, it is hoped that humans will help each other and realize the importance of protecting the environment so as not to experience water scarcity, food scarcity and medicine. It’s also up to everyone to ensure that the effects of El Niño are well managed, that pollution and climate change causes that exacerbate El Niño are minimized, and that we can adapt to it without fear of a phenomenon that will continue to occur in the future.

How El Niño Can Affect Global Aspects

What is El Niño El Niño is a natural occurrence that happens periodically, characterized by a spike in sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. El Niño is a paired event with La Niña, where ocean temperatures… Read More »How El Niño Can Affect Global Aspects