El Niño could bring 'record-breaking' heatwaves, cyclones and wildfires this summer
dailyrecord.co.ukScientists have warned a major climate event which occurs every few years could cause record-breaking temperatures in parts of the world this summer - bringing wildfires, cyclones and heatwaves with it.El Niño happens when sea surface temperatures get warmer, especially in the central-east equatorial Pacific.
Chinese researchers have said in a new report that places like the Bay of Bengal, the Philippines and the Caribbean Sea might see scorching heat later this year.The study, which was published in the journal Scientific Reports, also says there's a 90 per cent chance of record-breaking global mean surface temperatures during the same time if El Niño is moderate or strong.El Niño and its colder phase, La Niña, both affect weather conditions around the globe.
When an El Niño happens, heat released to the atmosphere from the western Pacific Ocean can make annual global mean surface temperatures rise faster.A small rise in global mean surface temperature (GMST) has been closely linked to big increases in surface air temperatures during severe regional heatwaves.A research team led by Dr Congwen Zhu of the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, studied the effects of the 2023-24 El Niño on the change in average surface air temperatures between July 2023 and this coming June.They chose this time frame to make sure the typical peak of an El Niño event, believed to happen between November and January, was always included.
Scientists predicted that under a moderate El Niño scenario, the Bay of Bengal and the Philippines were likely to see record-breaking average surface air temperatures.At the same time, under a strong El Niño, the Caribbean and South China Seas as well as parts of the Amazon and Alaska were also expected
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