<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18928">
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY background="" bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial> <BR><FONT size=4>Peru Marine Animal Die-Offs
A Herald of El Nino?</FONT><BR>By Jim Andrews, Senior Meteorologist<BR>May 10,
2012</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial><A
href="http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/peru-marine-animal-die-offs-a-1/64883">http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/peru-marine-animal-die-offs-a-1/64883</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><BR><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Hundreds of birds and dolphins have been
washing up dead along the Peru coast, and this has government officials looking
for causes.</FONT></DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>
<DIV><BR>The mass deaths have taken place against the backdrop of oceanic
warming in the region.</DIV>
<DIV><BR>At least 1,200 birds, mostly pelicans, have been found dead in recent
weeks along a stretch of Pacific coast in northern Peru, the Reuters website
said on Sunday.</DIV>
<DIV><BR>Recent months have also seen an estimated 800 dolphins die in the same
area, Reuters said.</DIV>
<DIV><BR>Officials have recommended that people keep away from the
beaches.</DIV>
<DIV><BR>According to the agricultural ministry, preliminary tests on some dead
pelicans indicate malnourishment may be a factor.</DIV>
<DIV><BR>"We're starting from the hypothesis that it's because the birds are
young and unable to find enough food for themselves, and also because the sea
temperature has risen and anchovies have moved elsewhere," Reuters quoted Deputy
Agriculture Minister Juan Rheineck as saying.</DIV>
<DIV><BR>A mass die off of pelicans happened along the northern Peru coast in
1997 at a time when the "El Nino" warming of the equatorial Pacific Ocean was
under way. This mass death was attributed to the lack of anchovies, a key link
in the region's marine food chain.</DIV>
<DIV><BR>Although "El Nino" has not happened officially since early 2010,
significant changes to sea-surface temperatures have been happening since the
start of 2012.</DIV>
<DIV><BR>After months of "La Nina", El Nino's opposite, the equatorial Pacific
Ocean has returned to "neutral" status, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC)
website said on Monday. The CPC report also cited current above-average
sea-surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean, which borders Peru and
northern South America.</DIV>
<DIV><BR>A NOAA analysis of sea-surface temperatures, posted on May 3, showed
readings about 2 to 6 degrees F above normal off the northern half of Peru,
along with Ecuador and the Galapagos, Colombia and Panama.</DIV>
<DIV><BR>NOAA/CPC statistical forecasts have called for "neutral" status through
the Northern Hemisphere summer followed by nearly equal odds of "El Nino" versus
neutral conditions during the fall and winter.</DIV>
<DIV><BR>Long-range forecasters at AccuWeather.com expect a shift to El Nino
status by the end of summer.<BR></FONT></DIV><BR>
<BR>
__________ Información de ESET NOD32 Antivirus, versión de la base de firmas de virus 7189 (20120602) __________<BR>
<BR>
ESET NOD32 Antivirus ha comprobado este mensaje.<BR>
<BR>
<A HREF="http://www.eset.com">http://www.eset.com</A><BR>
</BODY></HTML>