The story of the baby Jesus

Many years ago, when science was doing 'walking and walking', in the Middle Ages or even before, Peruvian fishermen noticed that some years they were catching more fish, and some years they were less. They also noticed that during those years when the net was low, the water in the Pacific Ocean was very warm, it was raining and it started to happen around the time they celebrated 'Christmas' or the birth of Jesus Christ. The Peruvian fishermen named the El Niোo or "The Child" in Peru as a reminder of Jesus' arrival. In Spanish, boy children are called 'Nino' and girls 'Nina'. The opposite of 'El Nino' was named 'La Nina' - a time when Peruvian fishermen catch more fish and the sea is colder.




Although Peruvian fishermen have known about El Nino and La Nina (commonly known as El Niোo) many years ago, scientists have not been able to pinpoint it long enough, considering only local natural features. In 1920, British scientist Sir Gilbert Walker first discovered the relationship of air pressure with El Nino. He noticed that when El Nino happened, there was a wide variation in wind pressure on the eastern side of the Pacific Ocean, where Tahiti is located, and on the west side near Darwin, Australia.

Sir Walker also shows that, at times, the pressure in the Pacific Ocean is higher than the average pressure, and then the pressure decreases in areas in the Indian Ocean, from Africa to Australia. At other times, the opposite happens. Generally during El Nino, the westward pressure of the Pacific Ocean is higher than average pressure and lowers than the average pressure in the east, and warmer temperatures accumulate near Peru. Similarly, during La Nina, the air pressure is lower in the west and higher in the east, and in the same place, cool temperature water begins to accumulate. Walker called this flow the 'Southern Oscillation' or the Southern Hemisphere.




Why is El Nino or Enso so important?

Discovering the phenomenon that Peruvian fishermen have long thought was a local feature, scientists learned a lot about its relationship with wind pressure. Later on, El Nino was linked to many more natural disasters, especially weather. The discovery of the satellite made these relationships more clearly understood. The following picture gives an idea of the kind of weather the world may experience during El Nino.





A local natural feature of the Pacific Ocean that can have such an impact worldwide is beyond the reach of everyone. But now we know that when Peru receives heavy rains and floods during El Nino, there are fears of drought in India or Africa, drought in Indonesia or Australia can cause fires to spread, and cyclones in the Pacific rise. Again the opposite can be seen during La Ni ।a. Studies show that the number of cyclones in North America increases during the La Nina years. So we see - by the time La Ni ।a exists, cyclones are forecast to increase in the United States. Storms, rains, droughts, fires - these are not a creator's curse or blessing; Rather, it is the natural phenomenon of nature that has a certain set of rules and whose human nature is trying to understand its nature.