How the super El Niño could turbocharge warming in the Himalayas
After one of the worst natural disasters in the region’s history, attention is turning to the looming super El Niño
A devastating landslide and flood in Nepal and Tibet have claimed over a thousand lives, prompting researchers to investigate the impact of climate change. While global warming has made mountainous regions more unstable, a looming super El Niño could exacerbate warming in the Himalayas. El Niño and La Niña are cyclical climate patterns that influence weather patterns worldwide.
Typically, an El Niño brings warmer-than-normal temperatures and a drier monsoon season to the Himalayas in summer. However, the effect of this particular El Niño is uncertain, as it may transition into a La Niña, which could bring more precipitation. Regardless, the region has already experienced above-normal warming for several years, primarily due to human-induced climate change.
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