El Coyote?

Posted by Rosemary Drisdelle Sep 28, 2006

Every summer cold water brought up from the depths of the Pacific by wind and ocean currents brings food to birds and other marine life along the coasts of the Americas. In El Niño years, the upwelling of cold water is less pronounced and some coastal life goes hungry – scientists have learned how to predict El Niño years and now have a better understanding of what causes them and what their effect will be on ecosystems and weather patterns.

The summers of 2005 and 2006 brought something different: no upwelling of cold water but no El Niño either. Without really understanding why the nutrients didn’t arrive, scientists can still see the impact on marine life. Species that rely on the annual arrival of abundant food are hard pressed and populations are dwindling. One seabird species particularly hard hit is the Cassin’s Auklet (family Alcidae), a relative of the puffin. Like Atlantic Puffins, Cassin’s Auklets nest in burrows on offshore islands and fish for food. When food runs short, nests are abandoned.

The name El Coyote may be catching on for the new phenomenon – a name that suggests a wily unpredictable trickster. For a closer look at El Niño and El Coyote, and their impact on birds, read El Niño, El Coyote, and the Birds.

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Sources:

Emily Saarmanat. Rare ocean pattern leaves fish and birds hungry

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