El Niño is here — and it ’s looking to get acute moderately quickly . But there ’s more than just powerful , abnormal weather patterns to worry about . A chain reaction from El Niño could result in a major seafood shortfall .
NASA ’s Earth Observatory releasedthese two photos of chlorophyll level in the ocean , right now and this time last yr . At first , it might not seem as though there ’s much to be alarmed about in these tranquil blue - dark-green images — but front a little closer and the problem becomes manifest . By valuate the chlorophyl levels on the ocean ’s open , research worker are expect to get a sense of the floor of phytoplankton in the ocean . The first mental image is last year ’s levels ; when you slide over to see what we ’re face at now , though , the drop is obvious .
Why are phytoplankton levels such a big great deal ? Because phytoplankton are a major food for thought source for seafood , and their release make a domino event . Fish eat phytoplankton and those fish are in turn eaten , both by other Pisces the Fishes and entirely different beast . And it ’s not just humans that will be feeling the famine — researcher are also warn that we could see die - offs of penguins , seal of approval , and other Pisces - eating animals .
In thehighly similar El Niño of 1997 , this seafood collapse is exactly what happened all along the Eastern Pacific — until 1999 , when La Niña hike up phytoplankton stage , and fishery were of a sudden awash with Pisces . So , if we do see a Pisces the Fishes grocery collapse this year along with El Niño , at least we can cross our fingers for a quick turnaround .
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