At all times, the yellow press raised its ratings through various news of a mystical, catastrophic, provocative or revealing character. However, recently, more and more people are beginning to be scared by various natural disasters, doomsday, etc. In this article we will talk about one natural phenomenon that sometimes borders on mysticism - the warm current of the El Nino. What is it? This question is often asked by people on various online forums. Let's try to answer it.
Natural phenomenon of El Nino
In 1997-1998 on our planet one of the largest natural disasters in the history of observations related to this phenomenon has been played out. This mysterious phenomenon made a lot of noise and attracted the close attention of the world media, and his name is El Nino. What this phenomenon is, the encyclopedia will tell. In scientific terms, El Nino is a complex of changes in the chemical and thermobaric parameters of the atmosphere and ocean, which take on the character of a natural disaster. As you can see, the definition is very difficult to understand, so let's try to consider it through the eyes of an ordinary person. The reference literature says that the El Nino phenomenon is just a warm current, which sometimes occurs off the coast of Peru, Ecuador and Chile. Scientists cannot explain the nature of the appearance of this current. The name of the phenomenon comes from the Spanish language and means "baby". El Nino got its name due to the fact that it appears only at the end of December and coincides with Catholic Christmas.
Normal situation
In order to understand the whole anomalous nature of this phenomenon, for a start we will consider the usual climatic situation in this region of the planet. Everyone knows that mild weather in Western Europe is determined by the warm Gulf Stream, while in the Pacific Ocean of the Southern Hemisphere the cold Antarctic Peruvian current sets the tone. The prevailing Atlantic winds are the trade winds that blow onto the western South American coast, crossing the high Andes, leaving all the moisture on the eastern slopes. As a result, the western part of the mainland is a rocky desert where rains are extremely rare. However, when the trade winds accumulate so much moisture that they can carry it through the Andes, they form a powerful surface current here, which causes a surge of water off the coast. The attention of specialists was attracted by the colossal biological activity of this region. Here, in a relatively small space, annual fish production exceeds 20% of the global total. This leads to an increase in the region of fish-eating birds. And in the places of their accumulation, a colossal mass of guano (litter), a valuable fertilizer, is concentrated. In some places, the thickness of its layers reaches 100 meters. These deposits became an object of industrial production and export.
Catastrophe
Now consider what happens when a warm El Niño current appears. In this case, the situation changes dramatically. An increase in temperature leads to mass death or departure of fish and, as a result, birds. Then there is a drop in atmospheric pressure in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean, clouds appear, trade winds subside, and the winds change their direction to the opposite. As a result, streams of water fall on the western slopes of the Andes; floods, floods, and mudflows rage here. And on the opposite side of the Pacific Ocean - in Indonesia, Australia, New Guinea - a terrible drought begins, which leads to forest fires and the destruction of agricultural plantations. However, the El Niño phenomenon is not limited to this: from the Chilean shores to California, “red tides” begin to develop, which are caused by the growth of microscopic algae. It would seem that everything is clear, but the nature of the phenomenon is not completely clear. Thus, oceanographers consider the appearance of warm waters to be a consequence of a change of winds, and meteorologists explain the change of winds as a warming of the waters. Here is such an El Nino. What is this vicious circle? However, let's look at some of the circumstances that climatologists have missed.
Degassing scenario El Nino
What kind of phenomenon, geologists helped to understand. For ease of perception, let’s try to move away from specific scientific terms and tell everything in a generally accessible language. It turns out that El Nino is formed in the ocean above one of the most active geological sections of the rift system (rupture of the earth's crust). Hydrogen is actively released from the bowels of the planet, which, reaching the surface, forms a reaction with oxygen. As a result, heat arises, which heats the water. In addition, this leads to the emergence of an ozone hole over the region, which also contributes to a more intense heating of the ocean by solar radiation. Most likely, the role of the Sun is decisive in this process. All this leads to an increase in evaporation, a decrease in pressure, as a result of which a cyclone forms.
Biological productivity
Why is there such a high biological activity in this region? According to scientists, it corresponds to abundantly “fertilized” ponds in Asia and more than 50 times exceeds that in other parts of the Pacific Ocean. Traditionally, it is customary to explain the upwelling of warm waters from the coast by wind. As a result of this process, cold water enriched with nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) rises from the depths. And when the warm current of El Nino appears, upwelling is interrupted, as a result of which birds and fish die or migrate. It would seem that everything is clear and logical. However, here scientists do not agree much. For example, the mechanism of lifting water from the depths of the ocean is slightly “far-fetched”. Scientists measure temperatures at various depths oriented perpendicular to the shore. Then graphs (isotherms) are built, comparing the level of coastal and deep waters, and the above conclusions are drawn from this. However, the temperature measurement in coastal waters is incorrect, because it is known that their coldness is determined by the Peruvian current. And the process of building isotherms across the coastline is wrong, because the prevailing winds blow along it.
But the geological version easily fits into this scheme. It has long been known that in the water column of this region there is a very low oxygen content (the reason is the geological gap) - lower than anywhere in the world. And the upper layers (30 m), on the contrary, are abnormally rich in them due to the Peruvian current. It is in this layer (above the rift zones) that unique conditions are created for the development of life. When the El Nino current appears, degassing intensifies in the region, and the thin surface layer is saturated with methane and hydrogen. This leads to the death of living creatures, and not the lack of food supply.
Red tides
However, with the onset of environmental disaster, life here does not freeze. Unicellular algae, dinoflagellates, begin to multiply actively in water. Their red color is a protection against solar ultraviolet radiation (we already mentioned that an ozone hole is formed over the region). So, due to the abundance of microscopic algae, many marine organisms that play the role of ocean filters (oysters, etc.) become poisonous, and their use in food leads to severe poisoning.
The model is confirmed
Consider an interesting fact confirming the reality of the degassing version. The American researcher D. Walker carried out work on the analysis of sections of this underwater ridge, as a result of which he came to the conclusion that during the years of the appearance of El Niño, seismic activity sharply increased. But it has long been known that it is often accompanied by increased degassing of the subsoil. So, most likely, scientists simply mixed up cause and effect. It turns out that the changed direction of the El Niño course is a consequence, not a cause of subsequent events. This model is also supported by the fact that during these years water literally rages from the evolution of gases.
La nina
This is the name of the final phase of El Nino, as a result of which there is a sharp cooling of water. A natural explanation for this phenomenon is the destruction of the ozone layer above Antarctica and the Equator, which causes the melting of glaciers and leads to the influx of cold water in the Peruvian current, which cools El Nino.
