NEW DELHI: In a major breakthrough, scientists from Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have revealed how the El Niño phenomenon influences the saltiness, or salinity, of coastal waters across the globe. Using satellite tv for pc knowledge over a decade, from 2011 to 2022, the workforce has offered new insights into the intricate relationship between the local weather occasion and modifications in coastal water chemistry.
The research, led by ocean physicist Severine Fournier at JPL, has proven that the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) – encompassing each El Niño and its cooler counterpart, La Niña – performs a major function in altering salinity ranges close to coastlines.These modifications are immediately correlated with variations in rainfall and river discharge patterns brought on by ENSO occasions. As an illustration, the distinctive El Niño of 2015 led to decreased precipitation over land, decreasing river discharge and subsequently rising salinity ranges in coastal areas by a notable margin.
Coastal salinity: A bellwether for local weather change
The JPL workforce’s findings spotlight the dynamic nature of coastal zones, the place salinity is greater than 30 occasions as variable as within the open ocean. This variability is particularly marked on the mouths of huge rivers, such because the Mississippi and Amazon, the place the inflow of contemporary water into the ocean can considerably alter salinity. With world warming altering the water cycle and rising excessive precipitation occasions, coastal waters stand as key indicators of broader environmental modifications. “Given the sensitivity to rainfall and runoff, coastal salinity might function a type of bellwether, indicating different modifications unfolding within the water cycle,” Fournier famous.
The pivotal function of satellite tv for pc know-how in monitoring these phenomena is underscored by means of missions comparable to Aquarius, SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity), and SMAP (Soil Moisture Energetic Passive). These devices have enabled scientists to watch sea floor salinity with unprecedented element and accuracy, even near coastlines. The great knowledge collected has proven that coastal water salinity reaches its highest and lowest world averages in March and September, respectively, influenced primarily by river discharge from the Amazon.
This groundbreaking research, printed within the journal Geophysical Analysis Letters, opens up new avenues for understanding the intricate hyperlinks between local weather phenomena like El Niño and the Earth’s water cycle. Because the planet faces the challenges of local weather change, such analysis offers essential insights into the mechanisms at play and the potential impacts on coastal ecosystems and communities.
The research, led by ocean physicist Severine Fournier at JPL, has proven that the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) – encompassing each El Niño and its cooler counterpart, La Niña – performs a major function in altering salinity ranges close to coastlines.These modifications are immediately correlated with variations in rainfall and river discharge patterns brought on by ENSO occasions. As an illustration, the distinctive El Niño of 2015 led to decreased precipitation over land, decreasing river discharge and subsequently rising salinity ranges in coastal areas by a notable margin.
Coastal salinity: A bellwether for local weather change
The JPL workforce’s findings spotlight the dynamic nature of coastal zones, the place salinity is greater than 30 occasions as variable as within the open ocean. This variability is particularly marked on the mouths of huge rivers, such because the Mississippi and Amazon, the place the inflow of contemporary water into the ocean can considerably alter salinity. With world warming altering the water cycle and rising excessive precipitation occasions, coastal waters stand as key indicators of broader environmental modifications. “Given the sensitivity to rainfall and runoff, coastal salinity might function a type of bellwether, indicating different modifications unfolding within the water cycle,” Fournier famous.
The pivotal function of satellite tv for pc know-how in monitoring these phenomena is underscored by means of missions comparable to Aquarius, SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity), and SMAP (Soil Moisture Energetic Passive). These devices have enabled scientists to watch sea floor salinity with unprecedented element and accuracy, even near coastlines. The great knowledge collected has proven that coastal water salinity reaches its highest and lowest world averages in March and September, respectively, influenced primarily by river discharge from the Amazon.
This groundbreaking research, printed within the journal Geophysical Analysis Letters, opens up new avenues for understanding the intricate hyperlinks between local weather phenomena like El Niño and the Earth’s water cycle. Because the planet faces the challenges of local weather change, such analysis offers essential insights into the mechanisms at play and the potential impacts on coastal ecosystems and communities.
