THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF EL NINO TOURISM LOGO Ryan Muni Edburg Villard Noreesha Zariwal Ricky Echeona What is El Nino El Ni o Southern Oscillation is a periodic change in the El Ni o Southern Oscillation is a periodic change in the atmosphere and ocean of the tropical Pacific region atmosphere and ocean of the tropical Pacific region Effects on weather vary with each event but El Nino is associated Effects on weather vary with each event but El Nino is associated with floods droughts and other weather disturbances in many with floods droughts and other weather disturbances in many regions of the world regions of the world El Ni o was originally recognized by fisherman off the coast of El Ni o was originally recognized by fisherman off the coast of South America as the appearance of unusually warm water in the South America as the appearance of unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean occurring near the beginning of the year Pacific Ocean occurring near the beginning of the year The Southern Oscillation is the see saw pattern of reversing The Southern Oscillation is the see saw pattern of reversing surface air pressure between the eastern and western tropical surface air pressure between the eastern and western tropical Pacific when the surface pressure is high in the eastern tropical Pacific when the surface pressure is high in the eastern tropical Pacific it is low in the western tropical Pacific and vice versa Pacific it is low in the western tropical Pacific and vice versa Negative impact of El Nino on Tourism El Nino is an unusual warming of ocean temperatures in the Pacific Ocean around the equator During El Nino the weakening easterly trade winds allow the warmer water from the pacific to flow eastward As a result the sea level is flattened out and warm surface water build up off the coast of South America Then the temperature of the water in the Pacific increases Deeper Warmer water is rising to the surface and a surface warming occurs El Nino can cause destructive flooding and drought in the West Pacific Flooding in Peru and drought in Indonesia and Australia is associated with El Nino El Nino plays a very important role in the economy of many nations because coastal countries receive annual economic benefits from industries that rely on the affected bodies of water such as tourism The effects of climate change resulting from El Nino are critical to tourist destinations The many local and regional tourist destinations have activities that depend mainly on the climate and weather If the climate changes the tourism industry will be negatively impacted Increased drought will result in reduced outdoor activity and agricultural tourism The changes that occur in precipitation amounts and patterns will alter river and lake levels which could impact boating industries Higher temperatures and the increased occurrence of heat waves will reduce skiing seasons at winter tourism destinations and may even reduce recreation at summer tourist destinations All of these aspects will play a major role in affecting tourism and the economy as a result from the decrease in revenue from these tourist industries While on vacation tourist pay for hotels eat out and take part in local events This provides employment for locals and taxes for the government Less tourism ultimately means a significant decrease in revenue being received by the government and decrease in income employment for the local employees Economic Benefits of Predicting El Nino Predictions give a better indication of the climatic conditions that will prevail during the next one or two seasons than simply assuming that rainfall and temperature will be normal By doing so farmers can adapt their cultivation techniques to better suit these conditions thus giving a better possibility of a larger quantity and or better quality of crops Since 1983 forecasts of the upcoming rainy season have been issued each November based on observations of winds and water temperatures in the tropical Pacific region and the output of numerical prediction models Once the forecast is issued farmers representatives and government officials meet to decide on the appropriate combination of crops to sow in order to maximize the overall yield Rice and cotton two of the primary crops grown in northern Peru are highly sensitive to the quantities and timing of rainfall Rice thrives on wet conditions during the growing season followed by drier conditions during the ripening phase Cotton with its deeper root system can tolerate drier weather Hence a forecast of El Ni o weather might induce farmers to sow more rice and less cotton than in a year without El Ni o Countries that have taken similar initiatives include Peru Australia Brazil Ethiopia and India Although tropical countries have the most to gain from successful prediction of El Ni o for many countries outside the tropics such as Japan and the United States more accurate prediction of El Ni o will also benefit strategic planning in areas such as agriculture and the management of water resources and reserves of grain and fuel oil The ability to anticipate how climate will change from one year to the next will lead to better management of agriculture water supplies fisheries and other resources printed by www postersession com
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