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A group of scientists has made a discovery that could represent further climate change across the planet. “New El Niño”The phenomenon begins in the Australia and New Zealand region and researchers classify it as: “A new shift in the Earth's climate”.
Scientists have discovered that a small area in the southwestern Pacific Ocean It could lead to climate change that affects the entire Southern Hemisphere..
The phenomenon has some similar characteristics to the already known El Niño, and was also called the Southern Hemisphere Circumpolar Wave 4, or SST-W4. The results were published in the scientific journal Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans.
Researchers Simulation of 300 years of climate conditionsAccording to an official statement, the study combined components of the atmosphere, oceans and sea ice to create a broad representation of Earth's climate system. Through the data generated by the simulation, scientists identified a recurring pattern of changes in sea surface temperature in the Southern Hemisphere.
“This discovery is like finding a new shift in Earth’s climate. [O estudo] “It shows that a relatively small area of ocean can have large-scale impacts on global climate and weather patterns,” said Balaji Senapati of the University of Reading in England, an author of the study.
Understand how the “new El Niño” phenomenon works.
According to the author of the study, it all starts in Australia and New Zealand. He said the climate pattern works as a chain reaction, creating four alternating hot and cold zones in the oceans and forming a complete circle in the Southern Hemisphere.
“When the ocean temperature changes in this small area, it creates a multiplier effect in the atmosphere,” the scientist noted. “This creates a pattern that spreads throughout the Southern Hemisphere, carried by strong winds from the west.”
Unlike El Niño, which begins in the tropics, the newly discovered phenomenon begins in the mid-latitudes, south of the equator.
Changes in ocean temperatures also cause changes in atmospheric temperature and wind patterns.
“When an atmospheric wave changes wind patterns, it affects how heat is transferred between the ocean and the air. This changes the depth of the warmer upper layer of water in the ocean, which can make temperature changes stronger or weaker,” the study noted.
However, according to the research, the new pattern is occurring despite the influence of El Niño, a warming of currents and winds from the tropics toward the equator, and La Niña, a cooling of water in the region.
“This suggests that the phenomenon has always been part of Earth's climate, but has only been observed recently,” Senapati added.
According to him, understanding the new pattern in the Pacific region can not only improve weather and climate forecasting, but also help experts explain climate changes affecting the entire region and understand the increasing severity of extreme events, such as floods, droughts and other climate disruptions.
