El fenómeno meteorológico de El Niño ya ha empezado en el Pacífico y, según las predicciones de la Organización Meteorológica Mundial (OMM), puede durar hasta el primer trimestre de 2010.
El Comercio 20/01/2010
"El Niño comenzó en junio o julio en el Pacífico y continuará hasta finales de año, probablemente incluso hasta el primer trimestre de 2010", dijo hoy en conferencia de prensa el científico de la OMM Rupa Kumar Kolli.
El fenómeno de El Niño se caracteriza por un calentamiento de la temperatura de la superficie del océano Pacífico Ecuatorial en las zonas central y oriental. En esta ocasión, la OMM señaló que la temperatura de la superficie en la zona afectada aumentó entre 0,5 y un grado Celsius en relación a la temperatura normal a finales de junio, una tendencia que se mantuvo al mes siguiente.
"Este evento en particular no se parece siquiera a la fuerza que tenía El Niño en 1997", dijo Kumar Kolli. Cabe indicar que en ese año los consecuencias de este fenómeno fueron de pérdidas cuantiosas. El Perú fue uno de los más afectados. Los científicos de esta organización calificaron este fenómeno de moderado y recordaron que en 1997 la temperatura subió hasta dos grados.
EL PERÚ NO SERÍA AFECTADO ESTA VEZ
Entre las zonas más afectadas por El Niño destacan el sur y el este de Asia, donde las sequías serán más intensas debido al debilitamiento del viento monzón. La sequía en el este de África también se verá agravada, mientras que Europa no se verá afectada. Aunque el experto reconoció que las posibilidades actuales de que se produzca este fenómeno se han multiplicado por dos, explicó que hay periodos en los que se producen con mayor frecuencia que en otros.
Es por esto que aseguró que "no hay un aumento perceptible" de este fenómeno y que "no se espera que esta situación cambie". En este mismo sentido, Kolli destacó que "no hay pruebas que demuestren que el cambio climático afecta a la frecuencia o a la intensidad de estos fenómenos".
Untitled Document
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