This joint WFP and Action Against Hunger publication presents the impacts of El Niño in LAC, highlighting the emergency response and resilience activities taken to mitigate the effect of climate shocks in the region. The publication underscores the significance of adequate anticipation, preparedness, and response to climate emergencies in LAC. …
That's at least according to a study recently published in the journal Icarus, which details how researchers assessed images of hundreds of gully-like features found on the walls of impact craters located along the mid-latitudes of Mars. "These recent climate cycles have been predicted by computer models, but have not …
Fourteen of the 15 hottest years on record have occurred since 2000, according to the UN World Meteorological Organisation, as rising carbon emissions continue to trap heat and drive climate change. The WMO’s new analysis narrowly places 2014 as the hottest recorded since 1850, as have recent analyses from other …
Increasing heat content of the global ocean dominates the energy imbalance in the climate system. Here we show that ocean heat gain over the 0–2,000 m layer continued at a rate of 0.4–0.6 W m−2 during 2006–2013. The depth dependence and spatial structure of temperature changes are described on the …
During El Niño episodes the normal patterns of tropical precipitation and atmospheric circulation become disrupted triggering extreme climate events around the globe: droughts, floods and affecting the intensity and frequency of hurricanes. Disasters create poverty traps that increase the prevalence of food insecurity and malnutrition. Agriculture is one of the …
Recent studies have showed that more than 90 per cent of coral reefs in the Seychelles are slowly but surely recuperating from the global 1998 El Niño phenomenon. The natural weather event resulted in an increase in sea temperature and subsequently a huge die-off among these living organisms. Although such …
As the water vapor content in the atmosphere scales with temperature, a warmer world is expected to feature an intensification of the hydrological cycle. Work to date has mainly focused on mean precipitation changes, whose connection to climatic modes is elusive at a global scale. Here we show that continental …
This report discusses operational monitoring and forecasting aspects of the 2014 southwest monsoon. Analysis of various monsoon features, such as progress of the monsoon, semi-permanent and transient weather systems, rainfall distribution etc. have been presented. Potential regional and global climate anomaly patterns responsible for the observed rainfall features have been …
PARIS – A sharp rise in sea temperature can inflict potentially catastrophic “bleaching” on corals, but new research has identified factors that may render some reefs more resilient than others. Five conditions can determine whether or not a reef is doomed after bleaching — episodes that threaten a valuable source …
Kashmir floods and Cyclone Hudhud caused loss of USD 18 billion and have been the most economically costly event in 2014 reveals this latest edition of Annual Global Climate and Catastrophe Report. 258 global natural disasters in 2014 caused economic losses of USD132 billion says the report. This report evaluates …
Australia experienced its third warmest year on record in 2014 with six major heat waves scorching the country, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Last year was 0.91C warmer than the long-term average, which is set between 1961 and 1990, the BoM’s annual climate statement said. This made 2014 Australia’s …
There has been evidence since 1950 of changes in climate extremes. Observed changes in climate extremes reflect the influence of anthropogenic climate change in addition to natural climate variability, with changes in exposure and vulnerability influenced by both climatic and nonclimatic factors. Changes in climate extremes vary across regions with …
The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is Earth’s dominant source of interannual climate variability, but its response to global warming remains highly uncertain. To improve our understanding of ENSO’s sensitivity to external climate forcing, it is paramount to determine its past behaviour by using palaeoclimate data and model simulations. Palaeoclimate …
The Abbott government has been accused of "complacency gone mad" over plans to abolish the National Water Commission amid the threat of El Nino-like drought conditions and unresolved issues between the states. The Senate is expected to vote next week on the abolition of the independent commission, set up by …
Researchers have found startling evidence that a severe El Niño can actually slow the growth of children, stunting their height. This reportedly occurred 17 years ago, when an intense El Niño and its resulting floods were linked to the stunted height of local children in Peru. That is at least …
El Niño is responsible for natural disasters and infectious disease outbreaks worldwide. During the 1997–1998 El Niño, northern Peru endured extreme rainfall and flooding. Since short stature may occur as a result of undernutrition or repeated infections during childhood, both of which are highly prevalent during natural disasters, we sought …
This report focuses on the risks of climate change to development in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and parts of Europe and Central Asia. Building on earlier Turn Down the Heat reports, this new scientific analysis examines the likely impacts of present day (0.8°C), …
The tropical Pacific Ocean is showing renewed signs of El Nino conditions, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said on Tuesday. The bureau upgraded its tracker system to "alert" from "watch", indicating there is at least a 70 percent chance of El Nino occurring. El Nino is a warming of sea-surface …
The El Niño weather phenomenon is expected to occur in the next 1-2 months and last into next spring in the Northern Hemisphere, though it will likely be weak, the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) agency of the National Weather Service said on Thursday. While the forecast marks the strongest prediction …
El Nino has failed again to arrive, and past performance says the odds are dwindling for the phenomenon that warms the equatorial Pacific and changes weather patterns around the world. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology yesterday maintained its El Nino watch and said there’s still more than double the normal …
HONOLULU – Warm ocean temperatures have caused large expanses of coral to bleach in the pristine reefs northwest of Hawaii’s main islands, scientists say. Mass bleaching has occurred at Lisianski atoll, about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) northwest of Honolulu, said Courtney Couch, a researcher at the Hawaii Institute of Marine …
