El Niño Expected to fade away by April - May

Posted March 23, 2010

 

As noted in CNH Tours earlier postings, it was to be by about March that we would be able to establish whether or not an El Niño event was to be declared in Galapagos for 2010-2011.  It now appears that this won't be the case.  

 

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the USA indicated in their March 4th advisory that El Niño conditions were likely to return to normal in the coming 2 months, discarding concerns of an important El Niño event in the Galapagos.

 

This means that the season, which to date has been warmer and wetter than usual in the Galapagos for the past couple of months (typical of El Niño conditions), should return to normal conditions.   The usual dry and cooler season conditions should become established, as usual, by about June.     

 

This is good news for marine life, sea birds, sea lions and marine iguanas, who typically suffer during El Niño event, and less welcome news for land animals and plants, which generally do better under wetter conditions. 

 

Either way, Galapagos remains a fascinating place to visit, and to see life deal with the varied conditions present in the islands.

Warmest regards,

 

Heather Blenkiron