In the News
Impacts of global warming
After a twelve-month set of climate records driven by global warming it is time to take stock of how we’re impacting the planet as a species. One of the driving forces behind a record year of global warming is the now waning El Niño system. With its counterpart, La Niña, due to pick up in 2024, we ask NOAA oceanographer Mike McPhaden what to expect from this transition and if we are headed for a turbulent hurricane season.
El Niño is flexing its muscles. What does this mean for California?
El Niño is expected to gain strength and flaunt its muscle this winter, and forecasters are closely watching ocean temperatures to determine just how strong the El Niño weather pattern that developed over the summer will get in the coming months. Mike McPhaden is quoted.
THE BIG SWING: El Niño in a changing climate
The prospect of a possible El Niño summer, with the hot and dry conditions it’s known for in Australia, can be frightening. The winter has already been dry in parts of the country. Record summer temperatures in Europe, although not related, have added to a sense of foreboding. Mike McPhaden is quoted.
El Ninos are far costlier than once thought, in the trillions, study says -- and one’s brewing now
The natural burst of El Nino warming that changes weather worldwide is far costlier with longer-lasting expenses than experts had thought, averaging trillions of dollars in damage, a new study found. Mike McPhaden is quoted.
El Niño is getting stronger. That could cost the global economy trillions
A new study found some of the most intense past El Niño events cost the global economy more than $4 trillion over the following years. Mike McPhaden, a senior scientist at NOAA and who was not involved in the research, said the study was “very insightful and provocative.”