[Coral-List] El Niño is ending and La Niña will soon start

[Douglas Fenner]

This cycle usually causes marine heat waves which in turn cause mass coral
bleaching and can cause mass coral death.

Two websites have the same article:

https://theconversation.com/la-nina-is-coming-raising-the-chances-of-a-dangerous-atlantic-hurricane-season-an-atmospheric-scientist-explains-this-climate-phenomenon-228595

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/la-nina-is-on-its-way-back-an-atmospheric-scientist-explains-what-to-expect

Easy to understand, and super good graphics.  Notice in the first graphic,
a video, that the lower part shows the temperature profile in the upper
part of the Pacific.  The brown at the top is warm water, the blue at the
bottom is cold water, and the white between is the thermocline.  Note how
it changes between the two phases.

In the graph that shows the temperature anomalies in the Pacific over time,
note the tallest spikes upwards, which are the strongest El Niño events,
get taller to the right, over time.  That's surely an effect of global
warming, and is a bad omen for coral reefs as it shows that the hot phase,
El Niño, is getting hotter and stronger.  Not good for corals.

Note the last graph showing the spatial distribution of effects.  I've not
seen that one before.

Since the ENSO (El Ni\ño Southern Oscillation) is so important for corals,
this is important info for us.

Note: the "~" mark above the "n" indicates that the "n" should be
pronounced like "ny."  This comes from Spanish because the phenomenon was
first noticed off the west coast of South America, where Spanish is spoken.

Cheers, Doug

-- 
Douglas Fenner
Lynker Technologies, LLC, Contractor
NOAA Fisheries Service
Pacific Islands Regional Office
Honolulu
and:
Coral Reef Consulting
PO Box 997390
Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799-6298  USA


Fenner, D. 2023. Corals of Hawai’i, 2nd edition.  Mutual Publishing,
Honolulu, and Maui Ocean Center.  440 pp.  (includes 167 page section on
coral biology and coral reef ecology)

https://mauioceancenter.com/shop/



Sheppard, C., Fenner, D., Sheppard, A.  2017.  Corals of Chagos.
http://chagosinformationportal.org/corals


Fenner, D.  2020.  Can we save coral reefs?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SM8bEm3ocI&t=76s