El Nino

<<–2/”>a >p style=”font-weight: 400;”>El Nino

El Niño is the name given to the occasional development of warm ocean surface waters along the coast of Ecuador and Peru.
When this warming occurs the usual upwelling of cold, nutrient rich deep ocean water is significantly reduced.
El Niño normally occurs around Christmas and usually lasts for a few weeks to a few months.
Sometimes an extremely warm event can develop that lasts for much longer time periods. In the 1990s, strong El Niños developed in 1991 and lasted until 1995, and from fall 1997 to spring 1998.

Normal Conditions

In a normal year, a surface low pressure develops in the region of northern Australia and Indonesia and a high pressure system over the coast of Peru. As a result, the trade winds over the Pacific Ocean move strongly from east to west.
The easterly flow of the trade winds carries warm surface waters westward, bringing convective storms (thunderstorms) to Indonesia and coastal Australia. Along the coast of Peru, cold bottom cold nutrient rich water wells up to the surface to replace the warm water that is pulled to the west.

Walker circulation (Occurs during Normal Years)

The Walker circulation (walker cell) is caused by the pressure gradient force that results from a high pressure system over the eastern Pacific ocean, and a low pressure system over Indonesia.

This cross-section of the Pacific Ocean, along the equator, illustrates the pattern of atmospheric circulation typically found at the equatorial Pacific. Note the position of the thermocline.

Thermocline == Noun a temperature gradient in a lake or other body of water, separating layers at different temperatures.
The Walker cell is indirectly related to upwelling off the coasts of Peru and Ecuador. This brings nutrient-rich cold water to the surface, increasing fishing stocks.

During El Nino year

In an El Niño year, air pressure drops over large areas of the central Pacific and along the coast of South America.
The normal low pressure system is replaced by a weak high in the western Pacific (the southern oscillation). This change in pressure pattern causes the trade winds to be reduced == Weak Walker Cell. Sometimes Walker Cell might even get reversed.

This reduction allows the equatorial counter current (current along doldrums) to accumulate warm ocean water along the coastlines of Peru and Ecuador.
This accumulation of warm water causes the thermocline to drop in the eastern part of Pacific Ocean which cuts off the upwelling of cold deep ocean water along the coast of Peru.
Climatically, the development of an El Niño brings drought to the western Pacific, rains to the equatorial coast of South America, and convective storms and hurricanes to the central Pacific.

This cross-section of the Pacific Ocean, along the equator, illustrates the pattern of atmospheric circulation that causes the formation of the El Niño.

In the image above, we can see the presence of a strong El Niño event (October, 1997).

Effects of El Nino

The warmer waters had a devastating effect on marine life existing off the coast of Peru and Ecuador.
Fish catches off the coast of South America were lower than in the normal year (Because there is no upwelling).
Severe droughts occur in Australia, Indonesia, India and southern Africa.
Heavy rains in California, Ecuador, and the Gulf of Mexico.

Normal Conditions

Eastern Pacific == Coast of Peru and Ecuador == Cold Ocean Water == Good for Fishing.

Western Pacific == Indonesia and Australia == Warm Ocean Water == Plenty of rains.

El Nino Condition

Eastern Pacific == Coast of Peru and Ecuador == Warm Ocean Water == Fishing Industry takes a hit.

Western Pacific == Indonesia and Australia == Cold Ocean Water == Drought.

How El Nino impacts monsoon rainfall in India

El Nino and Indian monsoon are inversely related.
The most prominent droughts in India – six of them – since 1871 have been El Nino droughts, including the recent ones in 2002 and 2009
However, not all El Nino years led to a drought in India. For instance, 1997/98 was a strong El Nino year but there was no drought (Because of IOD).
On the other hand, a moderate El Nino in 2002 resulted in one of the worst droughts.
El Nino directly impacts India’s agrarian economy as it tends to lower the production of summer crops such as rice, sugarcane, Cotton and oilseeds.
The ultimate impact is seen in the form of high Inflation and low gross domestic product Growth as agriculture contributes around 14 per cent to the Indian economy.

El Nino Southern Oscillation [ENSO]

The formation of an El Niño [Circulation of Water] is linked with Pacific Ocean circulation pattern known as the southern oscillation [circulation of Atmospheric Pressure]
Southern Oscillation, in Oceanography and Climatology, is a coherent inter-annual fluctuation of atmospheric pressure over the tropical Indo-Pacific region.
El Nino and Southern Oscillation coincide most of the times hence their combination is called ENSO – El Nino Southern Oscillation.

Only El Nino == [Warm water in Eastern Pacific + Cold water in Western Pacific].

Only SO == [Low Pressure over Eastern Pacific + High Pressure over Western Pacific]

ENSO = [Warm water in Eastern Pacific + Low Pressure over Eastern Pacific] + [Cold water in Western Pacific + High Pressure over Western Pacific].

Southern Oscillation Index and Indian Monsoons

SO is a see-saw pattern of meteorological changes observed between the Eastern Pacific and Western Pacific.
When the pressure was high over equatorial Eastern Pacific, it was low over the equatorial Western Pacific and vice versa.
The pattern of low and high pressures gives rise to vertical circulation along the equator with its rising limb over low pressure area and descending limb over high pressure area. This is known as Walker Circulation.
The location of low pressure and hence the rising limb over Western Pacific is considered to be conductive to good monsoon rainfall in India.
Its shifting eastward from its normal position, such as in El Nino years, reduces monsoon rainfall in India.
Due to the close association between an El Nino (E.N.) and the Southern Oscillation SO the two are jointly referred to as an ENSO event.
The periodicity of SO is not fixed and its period varies from two to five years.
Southern Oscillation Index (SOD) is used to measure the intensity of the Southern Oscillation.
This is the difference in pressure between Tahiti in French Polynesia (Central Pacific), representing the Central Pacific Ocean and Port Darwin, in northern Australia representing the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
The positive and negative values of the SOI i.e. Tahiti minus the Port Darwin pressure are pointers towards good or bad rainfall in India.

Positive SOI	Negative SOI
Tahiti pressure greater than that of Port Darwin	Reverse
Pressure high over eastern Pacific and low over	Reverse
Drought conditions in Eastern Pacific and good rainfall in Western Pacific (Northern Australia and Indonesia)	Reverse
Good for Indian Monsoons	Bad for Indian Monsoons

Indian Ocean Dipole effect (Not every El Nino year is same in India)

Although ENSO was statistically effective in explaining several past droughts in India, in the recent decades the ENSO-Monsoon relationship seemed to weaken in the Indian subcontinent. For e.g. the 1997, strong ENSO failed to cause drought in India.
However, it was later discovered that just like ENSO was an event in the Pacific Ocean, a similar seesaw ocean-Atmosphere system in the Indian Ocean was also at play. It was discovered in 1999 and named the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD).
The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is defined by the difference in sea surface temperature between two areas (or poles, hence a dipole) – a western pole in the Arabian Sea (western Indian Ocean) and an eastern pole in the eastern Indian Ocean south of Indonesia.
IOD develops in the equatorial region of Indian Ocean from April to May peaking in October.
With a positive IOD winds over the Indian Ocean blow from east to west (from Bay of Bengal towards Arabian Sea). This results in the Arabian Sea (western Indian Ocean near African Coast) being much warmer and eastern Indian Ocean around Indonesia becoming colder and dry.
In the negative dipole year (negative IOD), reverse happens making Indonesia much warmer and rainier.
It was demonstrated that a positive IOD index often negated the effect of ENSO, resulting in increased Monsoon rains in several ENSO years like the 1983, 1994 and 1997.
Further, it was shown that the two poles of the IOD – the eastern pole (around Indonesia) and the western pole (off the African coast) were independently and cumulatively affecting the quantity of rains for the Monsoon in the Indian subcontinent.
Similar to ENSO, the atmospheric component of the IOD was later discovered and named as Equatorial Indian Ocean Oscillation [EQUINOO][Oscillation of warm water and atmospheric pressure between Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea].

Impact on IOD on Cyclonogeneis in Northern Indian Ocean

Positive IOD (Arabian Sea warmer than Bay of Bengal) results in more Cyclones-2/”>Cyclones than usual in Arabian Sea.
Negative IOD results in stronger than usual cyclonogenesis (Formation of Tropical Cyclones) in Bay of Bengal. Cyclonogenesis in Arabian Sea is suppressed.

The El Niño Modoki

El Niño Modoki is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon in the tropical Pacific.
It is different from another coupled phenomenon in the tropical Pacific namely, El Niño.
Conventional El Niño is characterized by strong anomalous warming in the eastern equatorial Pacific.
Whereas, El Niño Modoki is associated with strong anomalous warming in the central tropical Pacific and cooling in the eastern and western tropical Pacific (see figure below).

El Niño Modoki Impacts

The El Niño Modoki phenomenon is characterized by the anomalously warm central equatorial Pacific flanked by anomalously cool regions in both west and east.
Such zonal gradients result in anomalous two-cell Walker Circulation over the tropical Pacific, with a wet region in the central Pacific.

Anekantvada is a Sanskrit word that means “the doctrine of many-sidedness”. It is a central tenet of Jainism, and it is also found in other Indian philosophies such as Buddhism-2/”>Buddhism and Hinduism-2/”>Hinduism. Anekantvada holds that there is no one single truth, but rather that there are many different truths, each of which is valid from a certain perspective. This doctrine is often illustrated by the analogy of a blind man trying to describe an elephant. Each blind man will only be able to describe one part of the elephant, and so their descriptions will be different. However, all of the descriptions are valid, and they all contribute to a more complete understanding of the elephant.

Anekantvada has a number of implications for how we understand the world. First, it means that we should be open to different perspectives and try to see things from other people’s points of view. Second, it means that we should be humble and recognize that we don’t have all the answers. Third, it means that we should be tolerant of others and respect their beliefs, even if they are different from our own.

Anekantvada is a valuable tool for understanding the world and living a more peaceful and fulfilling life. It can help us to be more open-minded, tolerant, and compassionate. It can also help us to resolve conflict and find common ground with others.

Anekantvada and the theory of relativity

The theory of relativity is a scientific theory that was developed by Albert Einstein in the early 20th century. It is based on the idea that space and time are not absolute, but rather relative to the observer. This means that there is no one single “correct” view of the universe, but rather that different observers will have different perspectives.

Anekantvada is similar to the theory of relativity in that it holds that there is no one single truth, but rather that there are many different truths, each of which is valid from a certain perspective. This means that we should be open to different perspectives and try to see things from other people’s points of view.

Anekantvada and the principle of non-violence

The principle of non-violence is a central tenet of Jainism. It holds that all living beings are interconnected and that we should avoid harming any living being, even in self-defense.

Anekantvada can be seen as a justification for the principle of non-violence. If we accept that there is no one single truth, but rather that there are many different truths, then we can see that violence is not always the answer. In some cases, violence may be necessary to protect ourselves or others from harm. However, in many cases, violence is not necessary and can actually be counterproductive.

Anekantvada and the doctrine of karma

The doctrine of karma is a central tenet of Hinduism and Buddhism. It holds that our actions in this life will have consequences in future lives.

Anekantvada can be seen as a way of understanding the doctrine of karma. If we accept that there is no one single truth, but rather that there are many different truths, then we can see that our actions have different consequences for different people. For example, an action that may be seen as good by one person may be seen as bad by another person.

Anekantvada and the practice of meditation

Meditation is a practice that is found in many different religions and philosophies. It is a way of quieting the mind and focusing on the present moment.

Anekantvada can be seen as a way of understanding meditation. If we accept that there is no one single truth, but rather that there are many different truths, then we can see that meditation is a way of exploring the different perspectives that exist. Meditation can help us to become more open-minded and tolerant of others.

Anekantvada and the goal of liberation

The goal of liberation is a central tenet of many religions and philosophies. It is the goal of escaping from the cycle of rebirth and suffering.

Anekantvada can be seen as a way of understanding the goal of liberation. If we accept that there is no one single truth, but rather that there are many different truths, then we can see that liberation is a process of letting go of our attachments to the world. Liberation is not about achieving a certain state of being, but rather about letting go of our expectations and desires.

What is the theory of multiple perspectives?

The theory of multiple perspectives is a way of understanding the world that recognizes that there are many different ways of seeing things. It is based on the idea that there is no one “right” way to view the world, and that everyone has their own unique perspective.

What are the benefits of understanding multiple perspectives?

There are many benefits to understanding multiple perspectives. It can help us to be more open-minded and tolerant of others, and it can also help us to better understand the world around us. When we understand that there are many different ways of seeing things, we are less likely to be judgmental of others, and we are more likely to be able to see the world from their point of view. This can lead to more Empathy and understanding, and it can also help us to resolve conflict more effectively.

What are some examples of multiple perspectives?

There are many examples of multiple perspectives. One example is the way that people view the world. Some people see the world as a dangerous place, while others see it as a beautiful and exciting place. Another example is the way that people view religion. Some people believe in a single, all-powerful God, while others believe in many different gods or no gods at all.

How can we learn to understand multiple perspectives?

There are many ways to learn to understand multiple perspectives. One way is to travel to different places and meet people from different cultures. Another way is to read books and articles from different perspectives. We can also learn to understand multiple perspectives by talking to people who have different views than our own.

What are some challenges to understanding multiple perspectives?

One challenge to understanding multiple perspectives is that it can be difficult to step outside of our own perspective. We may be so used to seeing the world in a certain way that it can be difficult to imagine that there are other valid ways of seeing things. Another challenge is that it can be difficult to accept that our own perspective is not the only “right” perspective. We may feel threatened or uncomfortable when we are confronted with different ways of seeing the world.

How can we overcome these challenges?

One way to overcome these challenges is to practice empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. When we practice empathy, we are more likely to be able to see the world from another person’s point of view. Another way to overcome these challenges is to be open-minded. Open-mindedness is the willingness to consider new ideas and perspectives. When we are open-minded, we are more likely to be able to learn from others and to see the world in a new way.

What is the importance of understanding multiple perspectives in today’s world?

In today’s world, it is more important than ever to understand multiple perspectives. We live in a globalized world where people from different cultures and backgrounds are constantly interacting with each other. In order to build a more peaceful and understanding world, we need to be able to see the world from different perspectives.

Sure, here are some MCQs on the topics of non-duality, oneness, and interconnectedness:

Which of the following is not a characteristic of non-duality?
(A) There is no separation between the self and the world.
(B) Everything is interconnected.
(C) There is only one reality.
(D) There is no such thing as good or evil.
Which of the following is not a characteristic of oneness?
(A) There is no separation between the self and the world.
(B) Everything is interconnected.
(C) There is only one reality.
(D) There is no such thing as right or wrong.
Which of the following is not a characteristic of interconnectedness?
(A) Everything is connected to everything else.
(B) We are all part of the same whole.
(C) We are all one.
(D) There is no such thing as individual identity.
Which of the following is a benefit of non-duality?
(A) It can lead to a sense of peace and tranquility.
(B) It can help us to see the world in a new way.
(C) It can help us to connect with others on a deeper level.
(D) All of the above.
Which of the following is a benefit of oneness?
(A) It can lead to a sense of peace and tranquility.
(B) It can help us to see the world in a new way.
(C) It can help us to connect with others on a deeper level.
(D) All of the above.
Which of the following is a benefit of interconnectedness?
(A) It can lead to a sense of peace and tranquility.
(B) It can help us to see the world in a new way.
(C) It can help us to connect with others on a deeper level.
(D) All of the above.
Which of the following is a challenge of non-duality?
(A) It can be difficult to let go of our attachment to our individual identity.
(B) It can be difficult to see the world in a new way.
(C) It can be difficult to connect with others on a deeper level.
(D) All of the above.
Which of the following is a challenge of oneness?
(A) It can be difficult to let go of our attachment to our individual identity.
(B) It can be difficult to see the world in a new way.
(C) It can be difficult to connect with others on a deeper level.
(D) All of the above.
Which of the following is a challenge of interconnectedness?
(A) It can be difficult to let go of our attachment to our individual identity.
(B) It can be difficult to see the world in a new way.
(C) It can be difficult to connect with others on a deeper level.
(D) All of the above.
Which of the following is the best way to learn more about non-duality, oneness, and interconnectedness?
(A) Read books and articles on the subject.
(B) Talk to people who have experience with these concepts.
(C) Meditate and practice mindfulness.
(D) All of the above.