Droughts and floods: Global consequences of El Niño

We are in the midst of an El Niño year. This will have a global impact on the weather in the coming months.

The El Niño climate phenomenon is currently approaching its peak. Among other things, it is characterised by a warming of the sea surface temperatures in the Pacific. Currently there, it is as much as 2 degrees warmer than the climate average.

This has knock-on consequences for many parts of the world, some of which are already visible. Some parts of the world will see enhanced rainfall, others drought.

Some countries bordering the Pacific, such as Peru, Australia and Indonesia, are often the hardest hit. However, El Niño has also had significant effects in Africa in past events.

In the Horn of Africa, for example in Somalia, there have been repeated torrential downpours and flooding. Just a few days ago, over 100 people died in floods there. This was preceded by one of the worst droughts in decades.

There is still speculation about the causes of the El Niño phenomenon. Some researchers attribute its origin to solar flares.

These are accompanied by huge discharges of energy on the surface of the sun. We are currently in a phase of high solar activity. This is also one reason why we are currently seeing more auroras.