A geography professor from the University of Victoria says people living along low-lying sections of British Columbia’s coast should prepare themselves for the arrival of a “monster” El Niño weather system.
El Niño is a natural, tropical, ocean temperature phenomenon.
Warm water in the Pacific near the equator moves towards the north coast of South America and deflects northward, as far as Haida Gwaii and Alaska.
Professor Ian Walker says this year will be a monster El Niño year, probably the largest ever witnessed.
He says past El Niños that have hit between B.C. and California have resulted in some of the highest historic rates of erosion, so British Columbians should prepare.
Walker was among a group of 13 researchers from universities and government agencies who tried to determine if patterns in coastal change, such as erosion and flooding, could be connected to major climate cycles, like El Niño and La Niña, across the Pacific.
Their work was published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Original Article:http://globalnews.ca/news/2233612/parts-of-b-c-should-prepare-for-monster-el-nino-weather-system/
