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El Niño ushers in a breath of fresh air
Smog levels reduced in Southern California
September 9, 1997
Web posted at: 10:21 p.m. EDT (0221 GMT)From Correspondent Jim Hill
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Many Southern Californians think of heavy rains, flooding and huge ocean waves when they think of El Niño, but air pollution experts say there is a bright side to the quirky weather pattern.
"We've been observing some of the lowest, if not the lowest, smog levels on record," says air quality expert Joe Cassmassi.
CNN's Jim Hill reports
An El Niño occurs when westward-blowing trade winds weaken, allowing warm water normally blown into the western Pacific to drift eastward toward South America.
The phenomenon gets its name from the Spanish words for baby Jesus because the huge, warm pool usually arrives around Christmas.
Although the cause of the phenomenon is unclear, El Niños alter the strength and direction of the jet stream and disrupt weather patterns all over the world.
The El Niño forming now in the Pacific is shaping up to be the largest in decades, raising the likelihood of an unusually wet and stormy winter in California.
But for the moment, the skies are sunny and clear. What is ordinarily some of the dirtiest air in the country is now downright invigorating.
Millions are breathing easier
"I think anything that clears up the air is just excellent," said Dr. Arthur Gelb, a doctor who specializes in lung disorders. "Perhaps this is an advantage somehow that nature does provide us with every four years."
El Niños usually occur every three to seven years, and in Southern California the result is low atmospheric pressure and cool weather that doesn't allow smog to accumulate.
Weather experts have only studied the El Niño weather patterns for a few decades, and they say that El Niños are not always predictable.
They have produced very wet winters, and very dry ones.
Either way, however, the one thing El Niños are consistent about is clearing some of the pollution out of Southern California's air. And that allows millions of people to breathe easier.
Related stories:
- El Niño brings tropical fish to Pacific coast - September 9, 1997
- VXtreme Video: Feeling the effects of El Niño - September 9, 1997
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