Llanos, Stephene Imee P.

November 14, 2019

TTH 5:20-6:50

Where does water goes after a long run of El Niño?

El Niño is a climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean with a global impact on
weather patterns.

The cycle begins when warm water in the western tropical Pacific Ocean
shifts eastward along the equator toward the coast of South America.
Normally, this warm water pools near Indonesia and the Philippines. During
an El Niño, the Pacific's warmest surface waters sit offshore of northwestern
South America.

Forecasters declare an official El Niño when they see both ocean

temperatures and rainfall from storms veer to the east. Experts also look for
prevailing trade winds to weaken and even reverse direction during the El
Niño climate phenomenon. These changes set up a feedback loop between
the atmosphere and the ocean that boosts El Niño conditions.

As global temperatures gradually increase, more water is expected to

evaporate into the atmosphere. But using satellite data, scientists have
discovered that El Niño-induced droughts have caused global declines in
evapotranspiration despite rising temperatures.

Terrestrial evaporation, or evapotranspiration, is the transfer of water from

soil and vegetation into the atmosphere. It’s a critical component of the
global water cycle and, in recent years, it has gained increased attention due
to its role in global warming and water cycle intensification.

It is well known that evaporation rates increase as temperature rises. A

simple example is hanging wet clothes outside to dry: if it is hot outside,
they dry faster than if it is cooler.

This notion makes it surprising that, despite rising global temperatures,

several studies have reported declines in the global average volumes of
evapotranspiration in recent years. The reason is simple: evapotranspiration
does not depend only on temperature and
solar radiation, but also on how much
water is available in the soil to evaporate.

Returning to the example of the wet

clothes: if the clothes are mostly dry, the
amount of water evaporating from them is
very limited, even if the temperature goes
up.

Previous studies suggested that the recent

declines in global average
evapotranspiration were caused by
declines in soil moisture in the southern
hemisphere. However, the general belief
was that those soil moisture declines were
the result of a reorganization of the water
cycle caused by climate change.
Scientists have found a link between certain climate patterns and drought. El
Niño is a weather event where the surface water in the Pacific Ocean along
the central South American coast rises in temperature. These warmer waters
alter storm patterns and are associated with droughts in Indonesia, Australia,
and northeastern South America. El Nino events keep climate scientists
guessing, by occurring every two to seven years.
La Niña is the counterpart to El Niño, when the surface water in the Pacific
Ocean along the coast of South America decreases in temperature. The
cooler waters affect storm patterns by contributing to drier-than-normal
conditions in parts of North and South America. El Niño and La Niña both
usually last about a year. The effects of La Niña on weather patterns are
often more complex than El Niño. Two of the most devastating droughts in
the history of the United States—the 1930s Dust Bowl and the 1988 drought
in the Midwest—are associated with the effects of La Niña.
During a normal phase, water goes to:
Surface runoff (also known as overland flow) is the flow of water that
occurs when excess stormwater, meltwater, or other sources flow over
the Earth's surface. This can occur when the soil is saturated to full capacity,
and rain arrives more quickly than soil can absorb it. Surface runoff often
occurs because impervious areas (such as roofs and pavement) do not allow
water to soak into the ground. Surface runoff is a major component of
the water cycle. It is the primary agent of soil erosion by water.[1][2] The land
area producing runoff that drains to a common point is called a drainage
basin.
Runoff that occurs on the ground surface before reaching a channel can be
a nonpoint source of pollution, as it can carry man-made contaminants or
natural forms of pollution (such as rotting leaves). Man-made contaminants
in runoff include petroleum, pesticides, fertilizers and others.[3]
In addition to causing water erosion and pollution, surface runoff in urban
areas is a primary cause of urban flooding, which can result in property
damage, damp and mold in basements,
and street flooding.
Groundwater is the water found
underground in the cracks and spaces in
soil, sand and rock. It is stored in and
moves slowly through geologic
formations of soil, sand and rocks called
aquifers.

We might follow that raindrop into a stream, river or ocean. If it’s in the
ocean and it gets warm enough, it might evaporate into even tinier droplets
of water to form clouds. It’s part of the water cycle.

Clouds can only hold so much rain before they get saturated. Then it starts
to rain again. Maybe this time the raindrop falls into soil and helps a plant
grow. Or perhaps the raindrop falls onto the sidewalk, street, or
highway. If it falls on the pavement, it could flow into a drain and back into
the streams and oceans.