ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C&RL News ■ October 1998 / 663 I N T E R N E T R E S O U R C E S El Niño Facts, figures, images, and predictions by Vincent A. Mariner The media coverage of the 1997-98 El Niño has placed the term “El Niño ” into the American vernacular. This El Niño is often referred to as this century’s major climatic event and El Niño is now appearing in the course curricula at all educational levels. The climate and socioeconomic impacts of El Niño are becoming evident on a global scale and the interdisciplinary research of such a large and complex phenomenon will be intensify­ ing as researchers investigate the possible links to El Niño within their respective disciplines. El Niño, or El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), is an anomalous oceanographic and atmospheric event in the equatorial Pacific Ocean that usually occurs every three to seven years and is characterized by an increase i the sea-surface temperature in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. ENSO is thought t be responsible for anomalous climatic condi tions spanning most of the globe. Many o the resulting impacts of El Niño are negative, n o ­ f causing drought, famine, and floods. How­ ever, some impacts are beneficial. Research shows that El Niño reduces the intensity and number of Atlantic hurricanes and reduces the number of tornadoes in the central United States. Resources on the Internet about El Niño have grown tremendously since the emer­ gence o f the 1997-98 event. There are a plethora o f Internet sites that include El Niño- related, information and many online news­ papers carry El Niño-specific sections. News­ paper resources provide an effective way to find regional El Niño news. These sites can be located through subject directories and search engines such as Yahoo (Access: http:// www.yahoo.com/). Yahoo lists over 50 sites on El Niño, but a simple search in Alta Vista (Ac­ cess.■ http://www.altavista.digital.com/) on “El Niño” (no tilde) produced over 70,000 docu­ ments. An avenue for informal discussion of E l N iñ o q u estio n s and answ ers is the newsgroup search engine Dejanews (Access: http://www.dejanews.com/). A sample search in Dejanews produced nearly 2,000 docu­ ments. The range of information available on El Niño is vast and growing. Highlighted here are important sites focused on El Niño that are useful in a reference setting. El N iño m ega sites • NOAA/PMEL/TAO-E l N iñ o T h e Page: A ccessing D istributed In fo rm atio n Related to El Niño. These pages link widely distributed information and graphical prod­ m e About the author Vincent A. Mariner is a library and information specialist at the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies at Florida State University, e-mail:vmariner@coaps.fsu.edu. The author acknowledges that support fo r this work was provided by ONR Grant N 00014-94-1-036. http://www.yahoo.com/ http://www.altavista.digital.com/ http://www.dejanews.com/ mailto:vmariner@coaps.fsu.edu 664 / C&RL News ■ October 1998 ucts describing the status and impact of El Niño events using links from both within NOAA and from external sources. This site also contains links to Spanish, French, Nor­ wegian, and Portuguese-language El Niño sites. A Frequently (and Less Frequently) Asked Questions (FAQ) about El Niño is also available. Access: http://www.pmel.noaa. gov/toga-tao/el-Niño/home. html. • Center fo r Ocean-Atmospheric P r diction Studies Library-El Niño & La Niña Resources On The Internet. This site main­ tains a comprehensive index of links to the El Niño and La Niña resources available on the Internet. The resources are organized by the following subjects: theme pages, bibliog­ raphies, current news sources, mass media articles online, technical articles online, news­ letters, serial reports, and movies and anima­ tions. Access: http://www.coaps.fsu.edu/lib/ elNiñolinks/. Current status of El Niño • T O P E X /P o seid o n J e t P ro p u lsio n Laboratory (JP L )-El Niño Update. This site contains a series of El Niño images from the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite data. Every ten days, the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite measures global sea level with unparalleled p recisio n . This p ag e also in ­ cludes the latest E l N iño movie. Extensive infor­ m ation is also available on the history and back­ ground o f El N iñ o . A ccess: h ttp://topex-w w w .jpl.nasa.gov/elNiño/ elNiño.html. • International Research Institute (IRI) f o r C lim a te P r e d ic - t i o n - E l N iñ o ’s, P ast, P re s e n t, and Fu tu re. The IRI details current El Niño information. This page shows regional pre­ cipitation probabilities, compares the current El Niño to previous El Niño events, and has links to other El Niño pages and to wire service and newspaper ar­ ticles online. Also available are links to Cali­ e­ fornia newspapers that host El Niño theme pages. Access: http://iri.ucsd.edu/hot_Niño/. • NOAA Office o f Global P ro g ram s (O G P): E l N iñ o -S o u th e r n O scillatio n (ENSO) Hom e Page. The NOAA-OGP site identifies itself as the one-step source for the latest on El Niño information. This site in­ cludes resources for learning more about El Niño and what is being done to learn more about ENSO. A ccess: http://www.ogp. noaa.gov/enso/. • NOAA Climate Prediction C en ter-El Niño/S o u th e rn O scillation Main Page. This NOAA site includes the current status of El Niño, impacts of El Niño on the United States (state by state), and U.S. seasonal fore­ casts. Regional analyses for Asia, Australia, South America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South Africa are also included. A link to “Ca­ nadian Perspective on El Niño” is included in this site. Access: http://nic.fb4.noaa. gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ensostuff/ index.html. • F ed eral E m e rg e n c y M an agem ent Agency (FEMA): El Niño Loss Reduction Center. The FEMA site focuses on disaster preparedness. Six to ten day weather fore­ casts, information on flood insurance, storm watches, press coverage of the El Niño sum­ mit, and audio of recent FEMA radio network El Niño interviews can be found at this FEMA site. Access: http://www.fema.gov/nwz97/ elNiño.htm. Forecasting El Niño • Scripps Institution o f Oceanography: Experim ental Climate Prediction C en ter- E xperim en tal El Niño Forecast. The fore­ casts on these pages show the results of on­ going research into forecasting El Niño. This site offers pictures of the forecast, which is updated the first week of every month. Other information available includes a three dimen­ sional look at the developing El Niño of 1997, a definition o f El Niño, information on previ­ ous El Niño events, and their current research e ffo rts in th e field . A ccess: http:// http://www.pmel.noaa http://www.coaps.fsu.edu/lib/ http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/elnino/ http://iri.ucsd.edu/hot_nino/ http://www.ogp http://nic.fb4.noaa http://www.fema.gov/nwz97/ C&RL News October 1998 / 665 meteora.ucsd.edu/~pierce/elNiño/elNiño. html. • The C enter fo r O cean-Atm ospheric P rediction Studies (COAPS), Florida State University-The North A m erican Climate P a tte rn s A ssociated W ith The E l N iño Southern Oscillation. This report, written for the general public, shows the effects of the El Niño Southern Oscillation on North America. There are colorful maps that show how El Niño and La Niña (the other phase of the Southern Oscillation) seasonally affect North America. Another feature of this report shows the years in which El Niño, La Niña or neutral conditions existed back to 1944. Ac­ cess: http://www.maps. fsu.edu/libA)ooklet/. • National C enter fo r Environm ental Prediction Climate Prediction Center. The Climate Prediction Center El Niño Web page includes special reports, sea surface tempera­ ture forecasts, regional analyses, temperature and precipitation forecasts, and a historical features of El Niño section. This site is up­ dated on Mondays. Access: http://nic.fb4. noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ ensostuff/index.html. H isto rical and e d u cation al in fo rm a tio n • G lossary o f E l N iñ o Term inology. This site defines terminology related to the El Niño phenomena. Access: http://www.dir. ucar.edu/esig/elNiño/glossary.html. • Department o f Atmospheric Sciences (DAS) at th e University o f Illinois at Ur- bana-C ham paign: W W 2010 El N iñ o In ­ stru ctional Module. This site introduces El Niño and discusses the conditions respon­ sible for the occurrence of El Niño and how El Niño influences climatic conditions world­ wide. This module also has a section on the economic impacts of El Niño and discusses the conditions when no El Niño is present. Access.-http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/ guides/mtr/eln/home.rxml. • Reports to the Nation o n o u r Chang­ in g P la n e t, El Niño a n d C li­ m a te P r e d i c ­ tion. This report covers most as­ pects of El Niño. A n ice feature show s how El Niño predictions are used with a real-life ex­ ample. Other sections are dedicated to a de­ scription of El Niño, a case study of El Niño, global consequences of El Niño, El Niño pre­ diction, looking ahead, and more. This re­ port is also available as a color brochure from NOAA. Access: http://www.atmos.washington. edu/gcg/RTN/rtnt.html. • E arth System Science at the Univer­ sity o f Florida: El Niño-S o u th ern Oscilla­ tion (ENSO) Educational Module. This site discusses the impacts of ENSO, the history of ENSO research, and the understanding o f the mechanisms of ENSO. This page also includes some teaching and learning resources. Ac­ cess: http://ess.geology.ufl.edu/usra_esse/ el_Niño.html. El Niño from mass media • CNN-El Niñ o R etu rn s: An Online C om panion To CNN’s Special Series. The featured information of the CNN El Niño page is an interactive map that allows the user to take a region by region look at the impact of El Niño, the economic impacts of El Niño, streaming video reports and links to dozens o f CNN E l N iño articles. Access: http:// www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/el.Niño/. • USA TODAY-E1 Niño In form ation. This site includes details on the current con­ ditions and forecasts, how El Niño affects hur­ ricanes, how El Niño works, and graphics on how El Niño begins and affects weather. The USA Today site also includes over two dozen news stories posted since August 1997. Ac­ cess.-http://www.usatoday.com/weather/Niño/ wNiño0.htm. • E n v iro n m e n ta l News N e tw o rk -El Niño Special Report. ENN describes in text, images, audio, and links what El Niño is, past El Niño events, measuring El Niño, El Niño’s impact, and the current forecast. Access.- http:// www.enn.com/elNiño/. • NOVA Online-Tracking El Niño. This site includes news dispatches, anatomy of E l N iño, El N iño Now, E l N iño’s Reach, and links to other El Niño resources on the Internet. Access: http://www.pbs.org/ wgbh/nova/elNiño/. Sites w ith a regional focus • A fric a -U .S . A g en cy F o r I n t e r n a ­ t i o n a l D e v e lo p m e n t: F a m in e E a r l y W arn in g S y s te m -E l N iñ o. This page in- ■ http://www.maps http://nic.fb4 http://www.dir http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/ http://www.atmos.washington http://ess.geology.ufl.edu/usra_esse/ http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/el.nino/ http://www.usatoday.com/weather/nino/ http://www.enn.com/elnino/ http://www.pbs.org/ 6 6 6 /C&RL News October 1998 elud es an overview o f the im pact on weather in Africa with special emphasis on the effects o f the El Niño Southern Oscil­ lation on Zimbabwe and Zambia. Famine Early Warning System is monitoring this year’s El Niño development with links to satellite imagery and explanations of the images. Access: http://www.info.usaid.gov/ fews/imagery/Niñod ef. htm. • A u stralia-John L. Daly-The El Niño S o u th ern O scillatio n (ENSO). This re­ source answers the basics of El Niño. The emphasis of this page is the impact o f El Niño on Australia. This page uses images to show what the Southern Oscillation Index is and includes links to other El Niño and Aus­ tralia re s o u rc e s. A ccess: http://w w w . vision.net.au/~daly/elNiño.htm. • C a n a d a -E n v iro n m e n t C a n a d a -El N iño. This site has the specific impact of the E l N iño phenom enon on Canadian provinces and territories. Also included is a definition o f El Niño, forecasts and cur­ rent El Niño status, local and global ef­ fects, and further reading. This site is also offered in French. Access: http://www.tor.ee. gc.ca/elNiño/english/elNiño.html. • United States-M idw estern Climate C en ter-El Niño and the Midwest. This re­ source defines. El Niño and provides precipi­ tation information with an emphasis on snow­ fall. This page includes mapped summer pre­ cipitation totals for the midwest for three major El Niño years, summary of El Niño events through 1982, and the energy impact of El Niño on the m idw est. A ccess: http:// mcc.sws.uiuc.edu/elNiño.html. • U n ited S ta te s -N a tio n a l W e a th e r S e rv ic e , S an F r a n c i s c o B a y A r e a - El Niño S o u th ern O scillatio n P age. This site contains vast amounts of El Niño in­ formation with an emphasis on California. There is also information pertaining to the global impact o f El Niño. Links and infor­ mation are listed under these categories: impact of El N iño, ENSO advisories and forecasts, long-range weather forecasts, El Niño background information, and other El N iño or related links. Access:■ http:// www.nws.mbay.net/elNiño.html. • United States-Pacific ENSO Applica­ tions Center (PEAC), University o f Hawaii at M anoa-Pacific ENSO Applications Cen­ ter. This site focuses on the impact of El Niño on the U.S. Pacific Islands. Featured information is ENSO and climate variations, island information and maps, and the clima­ tology in the Pacific Islands. PEAC produces a newsletter called the “Pacific ENSO Up­ date,” which is available on the Web. The newsletter is produced quarterly, with addi­ tional special reports on important changes in ENSO c o n d itio n s . A ccess: http:// naulu.soest.hawaii.edu/Enso/index.html. • United States-W estern Regional Cli­ m ate Center: E l N iño and th e W estern U.S., Alaska and Hawaii. This resource em­ phasizes western U.S. relationships to ENSO. This page includes Frequently Asked Ques­ tions (FAQ) about El Niño. Access: http:// www.wrcc.sage.dri.edu/enso/enso.html. Images, anim ations, and graphics of El Niño • El Niño Visualizations from the NASA- Goddard Space Flight Center. Animation and images show­ ing a combined perspective of the El Niño-in­ duced change in the sea sur­ face topogra­ phy and sea su rfa c e tem ­ perature. Many o f the views are in 3D. Access: http:// nsipp.gsfc.nasa.gov/enso/Niño/. • NOAA Clim ate Diagnostics Center. Animation of the current El Niño Event as well as animation comparing two big El Niño events (1982 and 1997) and comparing the 1982,1991,1994, and 1997-98 El Niño events. Animation shows the rise in Pacific Ocean water temperature along the equator and off the coasts of Central and South America. Access: http://www.cdc.noaa.gov/~map/ m a p ro o m / text/ clim ate_p ag es/ sst_o lr/ el_Niño_anim.shtml. • Media Graphics. Graphics available for presentation and publication. Access: http:// n ic.fb4.n oaa.g ov :80/ p rod u cts/ an alysis_ ■ http://www.info.usaid.gov/ http://www http://www.tor.ee http://www.nws.mbay.net/elnino.html http://www.wrcc.sage.dri.edu/enso/enso.html http://www.cdc.noaa.gov/~map/ C&RL News October 1998 / 667 m o n it o r i n g / e n s o s t u f f / m e d ia / m e d i a . html. La N iña resources • La N iña H om e Page. Univ. Corpora­ tion for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)-this site includes forecasts, data sources, impacts and links to other La Niña sites. Access: http:// www.dir.ucar.edu/esig/la_nina_home/. • NOAA Public Affairs La N iña In fo r­ m atio n . Includes the basics o f La Niña and links to more La Niña resources. Access: http:// www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/lanina.html. • W e s te rn D is a s te r C e n te r L a N iñ a Page. This resource includes data and analy­ ses, advisories and forecasts, background in­ formation, and links to other La Niña sites. Ac­ cess: http://www.wdc.ndin.net/lanina.html. • NOAA La Niña Page. Includes general infonnation and La Niña impact. Access: http:// www. elNiño. noaa.gov/lanina.html. • W h at is La N iña? This site defines La Niña, discusses the origin o f the name, and compares La Niña to El Niño. Access: http:// w w w .p m e l.n o a a .g o v / to g a -ta o / la -n in a - story.html. N ew sletters (Note that these are not El Niño-specific newsletters, but they do regularly include El Niño and La Niña news and information.) • W orld Clim ate News. Issued by the World Meteorological Organization and avail­ able both in HTML and PDF formats. This link goes directly to an issue on “El Niño and Cli­ mate Change.” Access: http://www.wmo.ch/ w eb / catalo g u e/ N ew % 20H T M L / fram e/ frame.html. Use the following link to enter the World Climate News front page. Access: http:// www.wmo.ch/web/catalogue/New%20HTML/ frame/engfil/wcn/wcnl3.html. • WMO El N iño Update. A summary of reports provided by WMO members and af­ filiated institutions, which includes forecasts and impacts of the 1997-1998 El Niño. Ac­ cess: http://www.wmo.ch/Niño/updat.html. • Global C han ge. Access: http://www. globalchange.org/gc. htm. • E x c h a n g e s . Exchanges is the newslet­ ter o f the Climate Variability and Predictabil­ ity Programme. Access: http://www.dkrz.de/ clivar/publications. html. • El Niño Southern Oscillation Diagnos­ tic Advisory. Reports on the latest model predic­ tions of El Niño and La Niña. Access: http:// nic.fb4.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ enso_advisory/index.html. • E x p e r im e n ta l Lon g-L ead F o r e c a s t Bulletins. This bulletin is issued quarterly by the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Stud­ ies (COLA) and is intended to present ex­ perimental forecasts with a long-lead time. Access: http://grads.iges.org/ellfb/. • D ro ug ht N etw ork News. This news­ letter is published by the National Drought Mitigation Center and regularly covers El Niño. Access: http://enso.un i.edu/ndmc/center/ dnn/ dnnarch.htm. N ew sgro u ps • sei. geo. meteorology • sci.geo.oceanography • ne. weather • talk.environment N ew spaper, w ire service, and m ag azin e article s • Full C overage o f E l N iñ o fr o m Ya­ h o o . This site has links to the latest articles online, links to related Web sites, links to other news sources and multimedia. Access: http://headlines.yahoo.com/FulLCoverage/ Tech/El_Niño/. • T h e 1 9 9 7 / 9 8 E l N iñ o an d 1 9 9 8 /9 9 L a N iña ev en ts. This site includes links to the latest articles available online and it also has a very nice archive of links to articles organized by month. The archive begins with J u n e 1 9 9 7 . A c c e s s : h ttp :/ / w w w .ip h c . washington.edu/PAGES/IPHC/Staff/hare/ html/1997ENSO/1997ENSO.html. ■ ■ http://www.dir.ucar.edu/esig/la_nina_home/ http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/lanina.html http://www.wdc.ndin.net/lanina.html http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/toga-tao/la-nina- http://www.wmo.ch/ http://www.wmo.ch/web/catalogue/New%20HTML/ http://www.wmo.ch/nino/updat.html http://www http://www.dkrz.de/ http://grads.iges.org/ellfb/ http://enso.uni.edu/ndmc/center/ http://headlines.yahoo.com/FulLCoverage/ http://www.iphc