Dear Readers:

Aloha and Welcome to August 2009 on Maui!  As summer reaches a mid-point and begin to wind down, we are faced with the challenge of cramming everything we wanted or were supposed to do into the remaining moments.  If you are on island already, relax don’t worry about the todo list it will be there when you get back… 

EL NIÑO – In Scientific Detail

NOAA scientists today announced the arrival of El Niño, a climate phenomenon with a significant influence on global weather, ocean conditions and marine fisheries. El Niño, the periodic warming of central and eastern tropical Pacific waters, occurs on average every two to five years and typically lasts about 12 months.

During June 2009, conditions across the equatorial Pacific Ocean transitioned from ENSO-neutral to El Niño conditions. Sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies continued to increase, with the latest weekly departures exceeding +1.0°C along a narrow band in the eastern equatorial Pacific. All of the weekly SST indices increased steadily during June and now range from +0.6°C to +0.9°C. Subsurface oceanic heat content anomalies (average temperatures in the upper 300m of the ocean, (Fig. 3) also increased as the thermocline continued to deepen. Consistent with the oceanic evolution, the low-level equatorial trade winds were weaker-than-average across much of the Pacific basin. This coupling of the ocean and atmosphere indicates the development of El Niño conditions.

Sea surface temperatures along the equatorial Eastern Pacific, as of July 1, are at least one degree above average — a sign of El Niño. NOAA expects this El Niño to continue developing during the next several months, with further strengthening possible. The event is expected to last through winter 2009-10. 

El Niño's impacts depend on a variety of factors, such as intensity and extent of ocean warming, and the time of year. Contrary to popular belief, not all effects are negative. On the positive side, El Niño can help to suppress Atlantic hurricane activity. In the United States, it typically brings beneficial winter precipitation to the arid Southwest, less wintry weather across the North, and a reduced risk of Florida wildfires. El Niño’s negative impacts have included damaging winter storms in California and increased storminess across the southern United States. Some past El Niños have also produced severe flooding and mudslides in Central and South America, and drought in Indonesia.

*Information from National Weather Service & NOAA

 As always…Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to read our magazine and or stopping by our web site (www.realestatemauistyle.net or www.livingmaui.com).  For over 25 years we have tried to distinguish our magazine from other “catalog publications” in providing you articles on culture, history and all aspects of what makes Maui a magical and special place...in essence to be “LivingMaui.” We constantly strive to make your participation a memorable experience. If you have specific real estate questions on any of the properties or services mentioned throughout our magazine please call our advertisers direct.  See you in September!