Currents of Change
Impacts of El Niño and La Niña on Climate and Society

Explores in simple terms the effects and ramifications of El Niño and La Niña events.

Michael H. Glantz (Author)

9780521786720, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 23 November 2000

268 pages, 65 b/w illus. 19 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.4 kg

'… an excellent introduction to the subject for a nonscientist, or an interesting bit of entertainment for the enthusiastic scientist who just can't leave the subject alone.' Mike Meredith, Ocean Challenge

Droughts, hurricanes and floods are generated worldwide by the periodic warming and cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean's surface waters. El Niño's impacts are now widely known, but the equally serious consequences of its counterpart, La Niña, are only now being highlighted. Although both phenomena have generally been associated with death and destruction, there are benefits in understanding more about their occurrence, their strength and their impacts worldwide, so that their worst effects can be forecast and mitigated. This new edition of Currents of Change explains in simple terms what El Niño and La Niña are and how they can be forecast. Examining for the first time the major El Niño of 1997–1998, this book explores what we can learn from past events, what we can do to ameliorate the worst excesses of these phenomena and how climate change might affect them in future decades.

Acknowledgements
Preface to second edition
Preface to first edition
1. Introduction
2. El Niño
3. A tale of two histories
4. The biography of El Niño
5. The biography of La Niña
6. The 1982–1983 El Niño: a case of an anomalous anomaly
7. Forecasting El Niño
8. Forecasting the 1997–1998 El Niño
9. Teleconnections
10. El Niño's ecological impacts: The Galapagos
11. Methods used to identify El Niño
12. El Niño and health
13. The media, El Niño and La Niña: a study in media-rology
14. Why do ENSO events continue to surprise us?
15. What people need to know about El Niño
16. Usable science
Appendix
References.

Subject Areas: Environmental science, engineering & technology [TQ], Natural disasters [RNR], Climate change [RNPG], Pollution & threats to the environment [RNP], Environmental management [RNF], The environment [RN], Meteorology & climatology [RBP], Popular science [PDZ]