Green Times

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently disclosed that the presence of the current La Niña condition will not decrease the adverse effects of global warming.In a statement, the WMO said that global warming is still on an increasing trend despite the presence of a La Niña condition.

“Global temperatures in 2008 are expected to be above the long-term average,” the WMO said.

The current La Niña event, characterized by a cooling of the sea surface in the central and eastern Equatorial Pacific, is a “climate anomaly” part of natural climate variability.

This La Niña started in the third quarter of 2007 and is likely to persist towards the middle of 2008. It has influenced climate patterns during the last six months across many parts of the globe, including the Equatorial Pacific, across the Indian Ocean, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

“For detecting climate change, you should not look at any particular year, but instead examine the trends over a sufficiently long period of time. The current trend of temperature globally is very much indicative of warming,” WMO Secretary General Michel Jarraud said.

“La Niña modulates climate variability. There has always been and there will always be cooler and warmer years, but what is important for climate change in the present context is that the trend is still upwards. The global climate on an average is warming despite the temparature cooling brought about by La Niña,” he added.

In the Philippines, the peak of the La Niña, particularly from February to March this year, brought heavy rains that triggered flashfloods and landslides in the eastern sections of the country, particularly in the Bicol region and eastern Visayas.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), however, said the current La Niña condition is already on its weakening stage.

“Based on the latest sea surface temperature (SST) trends over the central and equatorial Pacific, gradual return to neutral conditions is likely by June,” PAGASA said.

The current La Niña condition, which was confirmed by climatologists following the successive negative 0.5 degrees Celsius sea-surface temperature for three to five months, was forecast in April of 2007 but its development was stalled for several months.

In September, a weak La Niña condition began, which developed into a moderate La Niña by the end of the year. It became a strong La Niña by January and peaked in February and March.
Source: Manilla Bulletin, Philippines