Increased temperatures in the eastern pacific ocean could produce the strongest El Nino storms 10 years earlier than expected Live Science reported Monday.
"Under global warming, the barrier to convection shifts," Wenju Cai, the main author of the study told Live Science. "Therefore, it is easier to generate this massive atmospheric circulation associated with an extreme El Niño event," Cai told Live Science. "If we just look at sea surface temperatures, there has been no consensus," Cai told Live Science. ""Extreme El Niños cause a lot of loss of life and productivity," Cai told Live Science.
El Nino storms are expected to come 10 years in the next 20 years from current times throughout the following 100 years Live Science reported.
Cai and a team of scientists evaluated 20 climate models to replicate intensified storms Live Science reported. The scientists classified every instance as a greater amount of rainfall, times normal levels covering the Pacific Oceans eastern equatorial part Live Science reported. The discoveries are printed in the Nature Climate Change journal.
El Nino's with droughts and wildfires have hit western pacific countries Australia, and Indonesia Live Science reported. Ecuador and northern Peru have seen drastic floods.
A storm system hit between 1997, and 1998 resulting in $35 billion in destruction throughout the United States. The storm took 23,000 people's lives throughout the world Live Science reported.
"The question of how global warming will change the frequency of extreme El Niño events has challenged scientists for more than 20 years," Mike McPhaden, another author of the study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told USA Today. "This research is the first comprehensive examination of the issue to produce robust and convincing results."
Temperatures can increase to over 82 degrees during an El Nino or 28 degrees celsius Live Science reported. The storm system's cycle heats up conditions once known to be cold and dry in the Pacific Ocean's eastern equatorial portion Live Science reported.
