Super El Niño

A consequence of global warming

AUDREY NOTSCH

An El Niño refers to the strength of trade winds that subsequently affect our temperatures for the year. During an El Niño year, trade winds weaken, which pushes the jet stream south and causes warm water to rise up and be pushed towards the west coast of the Americas. When this warmer water rises towards the ocean’s surface, it warms the air above it. This causes temperatures to rise in the Northern Hemisphere and the water level to rise in the Southern Hemisphere. Now, with all of this background information, what the heck does a SUPER El Niño entail?

In simple terms, a super El Niño is a more intense version of the weather changes that happen with a regular El Niño—the temperatures increase even more and the water levels rise more than usual. Super El Niños are not usually common events, but they have become increasingly more frequent due to rising global temperatures—a direct result of human industrialization. This weather event would explain the abnormally hot temperatures we’ve been experiencing this fall, like the 80 degree days we had in September.

This should raise some concern, because super El Niños can cause severe flooding and droughts, and extreme temperature changes which can impact food supply. While Minnesota won’t be affected by floods during a super El Niño, southern states where we source our food will be, which may cause shortages of certain foods. Minnesota can be impacted by the extreme weather changes—which can permanently harm environmental communities, changing their makeup. We may no longer have an abundance of prairie fields, or some animals that cannot handle heat will migrate elsewhere or die off entirely. Human impact has first damaged the environment, and now it is starting to damage us back; without serious regulations on fossil fuels and emissions, natural events such as El Niños will continue to become more and more extreme and frequent, leaving humans to suffer the consequences of our actions.