Bushfires in Australia in 2019 cooled the ocean

Catastrophic wildfires in between 2019 and 2020 have devastated Australia It could have cooled the ocean thousands of kilometers away, affecting the duration of the cold phase of the oceanEl Niño Southern Oscillation (El Niño). This, in short, is what emerged from a study published in the journal Science advancesconducted by scientists from National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The team led John Bogosstudied the environmental impacts related to bushfires in Australia to assess how these events affect the planet’s oceanic and atmospheric climate.

Oscillations in the atmosphere and oceans ENSOExperts explain that in recent years it has appeared in its cooler counterpart called La Nina, which, contrary to what usually happens, has lasted for about three years. This series of three consecutive winters associated with the cold phase has in fact only occurred three times since the beginning of historical records, which began in 1950. The widespread and widespread climatic phenomenon causes effects not only on the climate of North and South America, but also on the climate of North and South America. Pacific Ocean and other parts of the world. Australian fires, which between 2019 and 2020 caused a loss of about 186,000 square kilometers.

Fires and climatic consequences

The researchers used a computer model to run a series of simulations aimed at assessing the potential climatic consequences of these devastating events. The authors found that emissions associated with the fires started an important chain of climate reactions. For example, aerosols formed as a result of the combustion of organic matter that lights up the cloud banks in the southern hemisphere and especially off the coast of Peru cooled and dried the air in the region, eventually moving the area where trade takes place north and south. The wind joins. These events helped cool the tropical Pacific Ocean.

In June 2020, in fact, shortly before the formation of the first season featuring Nina effects, seasonal forecasts suggested neutral conditions for the tropical Pacific, which instead experienced three cold oscillations. “this search – he comments forged – It highlights the importance of using a systematic model to predict seasonal climate for the tropical Pacific region. We have also shown that it is critical for long-term climate projections to take into account realistic wildfire emissions. As the climate changes, it is reasonable to assume that fires and associated emissions will change as well. Our goal is to incorporate the effects of these phenomena in the most realistic way possible.”