| Everyone is concerned about
the environment, but what are our governments doing to solve problems such
as deforestation, acid rain or the ozone hole?
It's about time people stopped talking and acted, because what kind of planet will our chilrden live in? Let's do something! Here are some fearful news. |
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Wednesday, December 17, 1997
El Nino blamed for freak weather in USA
The weather phenomenon El Nino is continuing to be blamed for the recent extreme weather conditions across the United States. This month Florida has been in the midst of a cold snap, California has been swamped by heavy rainfall and Colorado has experienced higher than normal snow. But as Jason Dasey reports from Denver, not all meteorologists are convinced that El Nino is the cause.
It's been one of Denver's snowiest autumns for many years with almost twice the average number of days with snow this season. It started with the second biggest snowfall in history in October and has continued ever since, and last week several towns south of Denver were isolated after yet another blizzard.
Temperatures have also been below normal, but experts say it is too early to blame the conditions on El Nino, a pool of warm water along the Pacific coastline which can cause extreme weather. The heavy snowfalls have been a blessing for the ski industry. Colorado resorts like Breckonridge and Loveland opened early and the current conditions are among the best seen for many seasons.
The irony is that the worse blizzards may be yet to come. Colorado traditionally receives its heaviest snowfalls in March and April.
Sunday, March 29, 1998
Sci/Tech
El Niño in decline
Satellite observations of the Pacific suggests that the El Niño phenomenon is finally beginning to decline, Science Correspondent Dr David Whitehouse reports.
For the past 15 months a sophisticated radar system that surveys the oceans from space has been monitoring the El Niño weather phenomenon.
The Nasa satellite data has produced a series of cross sections through the Pacific showing the temperature of the ocean as well as the height of the sea level.
Recent observations suggest that El Niño's warm waters are cooling and that colder waters are moving east across the Pacific, which could mean that El Niño is on its way out.
El Niño events occur roughly every 7 years and last between 12 and 18 months.
They begin when a region of the west Pacific warms causing a warm water current to travel east along the equator to South America. The effects on weather systems are worldwide.
This year, El Niño has been particularly harsh. There have been droughts in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Africa and some parts of the United States. There has also been a delayed monsoon in South East Asia, floods in other regions of the United States and storms along the Pacific coast of North and South America.
The current El Niño phenomenon has also slightly affected the length of the day making it a tenth of a second longer.
Even worse, some scientists suggest that El Niño events may occur more frequently in the future, possibly every 3 years or so.
