I am writing to share some concerning updates regarding the upcoming El Niño event and its projected impact on California and our marine ecosystems.
The National Weather Service has announced that California should prepare for a significant El Niño, describing it as a “doozy” that could be on par with some of the strongest El Niños recorded in history.
Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist for the NWS in Los Angeles, has said, “We’re already seeing those warm temperatures lining up.”
El Niño can also drive powerful marine waves and scramble sea life, causing mass die-offs and bringing unusual tropical fish to coastal waters.
This El Niño will most likely have a very big impact on marine fisheries. Crab and salmon are at risk of not producing due to the El Niño.
There are two marine heat waves that are already affecting the Pacific, one near the California coast and another farther offshore. This is the warmest El Niño on record at this time of the year. The hottest time frame for this El Niño should occur during October and November to January.
Cohen noted that we are already seeing warm temperatures lining up. Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist with Berkeley Earth, also confirmed that we are “experiencing very strong El Niño conditions and warning of significant impacts on agriculture, the natural world, and ocean ecosystems.”
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this El Niño will drive temperatures in the Pacific Ocean up more drastically this fall, leaving parts of the Pacific Ocean roasting in back-to-back heat waves.
Let’s hope that the marine animals and us humans can withstand this up and coming El Niño.
Lois Eisenberg
Valencia
