How Does An El Niãƒâ±o Affect Animals Living In The Galãƒâ¡pagos Islands.

El Niño is out there. This natural weather cycle has afflicted the Galapagos wild fauna in the past, and will do so once again in the hereafter.

We tin't control the weather, and the Galapagos Islands are unique, not just for their wild fauna, but how the wild fauna is managed hither. We're a National Park, and then we're bound to let nature take its class and hope that the marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, sea lions and other creatures all survive whatever Mother Nature throws at them.

Blue-footed Boobies do Not like El Niño

Most El Niño events are mild or short-lived so the damage to the ecosystem in the Galapagos is minor. Occasionally, the El Niños are extended, lasting for many, many months. During these events, things tin can become tough for some of the wildlife hither.

An El Niño is a natural atmospheric condition occurrence, and together with La Niña (colder h2o temperatures) they make up the ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation) bicycle. El Niño events tend to occur at least once every seven years, more ofttimes than La Niña events. Most events last betwixt nine and twelve months.

What happens when an extended El Niño hits the Galapagos?

Marine Iguanas suffer during an El Niño due to lack of nutrient

In brusque, it is the marine creatures that suffer most. Equally water temperatures rise above normal, small creatures such as sardines, algae and krill finish beingness every bit plentiful. With fewer of these effectually, the boobies, pelicans, penguins, body of water turtles, marine iguanas and frigate birds can all suffer.

Without enough food, populations decline, some from starvation because they tin't find enough food. Many birds have to fly farther to find food, such as the blue-footed boobies, and if they tin can't find plenty they end reproducing. Less babies, combined with starving adults, tin can have its toll on the local wild animals.

Sea lions also endure, as they accept to head further out to bounding main for their nutrient. Marine iguanas go hit hard, considering the warmer h2o temperatures mess with their food source – algae. If they can't get their nutrient, they starve every bit well.

At present travelers on sites similar TripAdvisor fear that they will go far in the Galapagos to a scene of devastation, with dead animals everywhere, and live animals hard to find. That won't happen. There will e'er be an abundance of wildlife in the Galapagos equally weather fluctuations simply impact sure species more than others.

The bicycle of life goes on all year here, so you may walk by a dead baby sea lion carcass at whatsoever time of yr. During an El Niño, it'southward just possible you'll see more.

Simply don't be fooled, sea lions still swim around snorkelers with curiosity, and you're probable to run across all of the same animals as non El-Niño years, just some in potentially much smaller numbers.

Species Well-nigh at Risk during an El Niño

Galapagos Penguins tin exist hard to find during an El Niño

One very susceptible species is the Galapagos Penguin. As their numbers are depression to begin with, and they are highly sensitive to El Niños, penguins may seek out new locations with improve food supply. They may non be seen at the traditional user-friendly spotting locations like Puerto Villamil and Bartolome Island.

The Flightless Cormorant on Fernandina is another species that suffers profoundly during El Niños. Their inability to wing apparently limits their range for seeking food effectually the island. Less nutrient in the water around Fernandina means the cormorants are at risk of being wiped out, maybe even more than the Galapagos penguins as they're only found in one location in the islands.

While widespread, the marine iguanas always suffer greatly during any El Niño. They seem to rebound nicely every time, afterwards a year or more than of favorable conditions. Nevertheless, while it is incommunicable to imagine the Galapagos without marine iguanas, they have very little defence against a strength of nature that can wipe out their entire algae food supply and replace it with different algae that isn't part of their regular diet. During past El Niño events, the marine iguana populations were reduced by as much as 70%, just the iguanas responded by laying eggs more than ofttimes and reproducing at a younger age after El Niño events. They are very adaptable creatures, that have evidently learned how to survive in the harshest weather!

History Of El Niño in the Galapagos Islands

There have been many El Niño events in the Galapagos Islands over the past 30+ years. Back in 1982-1983, a very potent El Niño hit the Galapagos Islands. This particular El Niño wiped out 70% of the marine iguanas and reduced populations of many sensitive animals, but it also had a huge impact on the coral systems of the Galapagos. In that location isn't a massive coral reef in the Galapagos Islands, so what coral does exist has traditionally been hit hard by El Niños. Since the 1982-1983 flavour, coral levels have never been the same.

One of the worst El Niños to hit the Galapagos was xviii years ago. In 1997-1998 a strong El Niño hit marine iguana, galapagos penguin, ocean lion and ocean turtle populations difficult. A number of penguin colonies were wiped out. It took a few years for some species to return to normal.

The most recent El Niño in the Galapagos was from 2009-2010 and had very little bear upon on the islands and wild animals. Information technology caused more destruction in other parts of the world.

Ultimately, like a weather forecast y'all really tin't predict what will happen in a month or two. Even knowing that an El Niño is already here isn't enough to make up one's mind how much of an touch information technology volition accept by the time it is over.

The Good News about El Niño in the Galapagos

More pelting in the highlands means more vegetation to eat for species like Giant Tortoises

The good news is that some animals thrive during an El Niño. Where the water creatures suffer, the land animals prosper.

Land iguanas, finches, Galapagos hawks, mockingbirds, lava lizards and giant tortoises all have it piece of cake during El Niños. More rainfall means more vegetation and more insects. With more flies and other insects to consume, the land bird populations are good for you. Lava lizards take plenty to eat, as do the tortoises, which live upwardly in the moist highland areas to begin with.

And so if you lot're a land creature you're giving El Niños high-fives and handshakes, considering life is good. If yous live off of the body of water, yous're blasphemous the currents.

Current Crusade & Effect

The Galapagos Islands are on the equator, simply it is non a tropically warm, big coral reef type of archipelago. What makes things so special in the Galapagos is the merging of currents, in item the cold Humboldt Current that passes through the islands.

This common cold current is similar an Iv-line for sea creatures. Dense with nutrients, krill and plankton, creatures as big equally whales and as small every bit boobies rely on these nutrients. Without the nutrient-rich common cold electric current, whales and dolphins don't have a need to stop near the Galapagos. They follow the food elsewhere in the ocean.

Galapagos seabirds and marine iguanas don't accept that mobile luxury, and so they suffer nearly.

Overall, the warmer ocean currents dominate around the islands. In nearly years, the Humboldt Current is strong enough to bring cold h2o temperatures to the islands and supply the states with plenty of nutrients. But, during El Niño times, the warm currents are too strong and stop the cold electric current from being able to supply the islands with the nutrient-rich waters.

During minor El Niños, information technology may only be a handful of months of slightly above-average warmth, before the common cold waters render. In such cases, the damage isn't and so bad. In more than serious cases, El Niño can final for many seasons, with temperatures rise 3-4C higher up normal. In these cases, the El Niño breaks traditional breeding cycles and causes big-scale starvations. There have been some extreme El Niños in the past, which devastated populations, but you lot wouldn't know information technology years later. The populations accept a mode of rebounding and part of that is because of La Niña.

Don't forget about La Niña

The Famous Galapagos Finches thrive during an El Niño, just suffer during a La Niña

Not nigh every bit much hype surrounds La Niña as it does El Niño. After most years of warmer waters and rougher times for the sea creatures, they get rewarded with a flow of fourth dimension with cooler than usual waters. Information technology does not happen after every El Niño, but when it does, it has the opposite affect on the state and bounding main creatures of the Galapagos.

Land creatures suffer from less rainfall, and then insects aren't as abundant and vegetation doesn't grow as much. They have to struggle to find nutrient, and their populations tin can temporarily suffer. Animals that hang out in the highlands, such as giant tortoises, are not impacted as much as animals living along the dry coastlines, such equally lava lizards.

Body of water creatures on the other manus are presented a bounty of modest delicacies to feast on, and marine iguanas get their tasty algae back. Information technology may be a cruel way for nature to ensure that but the strongest survive, but it is a strong reminder to visitors that the Galapagos is a rare and special place, much different than whatsoever zoo or aquarium back home.

El Nino Impacts the People and Towns Too

Puerto Villamil has experienced beach impairment and flooding in the by

While it may non be at the top of mind for most travelers, the Galapagos towns are impacted as well. Loftier rainfall and unusual weather condition conditions tin result in damage to buildings, and even possible flooding in towns forth the coast of the Galapagos Islands.

Local businesses may prepare for El Niño by shoring upwardly their foundations and roofs. Landscapes can get changed when extremely powerful El Niños occur, with places like the embankment in Puerto Villamil susceptible to harm and being washed away.

The good thing is that after a few serious El Niños have hitting the Galapagos Islands, knowledge of how to deal with them and create the proper infrastructure for visitors, and locals, has grown. The overall risk to a visitor coming to the Galapagos Islands during an El Niño event is lower than it was 10 or 20 years ago.

Should You lot Visit the Galapagos During an El Niño?

Visiting the Galapagos Islands is ordinarily a in one case-in-a-lifetime travel feel. Getting the best experience out of your Galapagos vacation probably means seeing the highlands, visiting some towns, taking some hikes and of grade seeing lots of wild fauna.

All of these experiences tin can be impacted during a serious El Niño, so it is up to you to determine how flexible you are in your travel plans. The weather condition will be hot, the water will exist warm.

There volition still exist arable wildlife in the Galapagos and plenty of places to see and people to come across. As for the current El Niño in the islands, there are early on signs that some wild fauna is starting to endure. Marine iguanas on selected islands are actualization stressed, while on other islands the wild animals is still in top shape.

Information technology is nevertheless early right now in terms of the potential touch on of the electric current El Niño. If you're looking to travel soon, your Galapagos experience will be great. If you're looking to travel in early-mid 2016, just Mother Nature knows for certain how the wildlife and islands volition concur upward.

More signs of stress on the wild fauna may appear past the start of 2016. If marine iguanas are still relatively salubrious in most areas by the terminate of January 2016, then it could exist that the electric current El Niño won't be every bit dissentious as some people predict.

What to Pack if You Visit during El Niño

Not much changes in terms of packing for the traveler visiting the Galapagos Islands during an El Niño. Still a few items are of higher importance, in item a decent pelting jacket or poncho to keep yous and your camera dry during any rain storms. While you can often visit the islands without any pestering flies or bugs, during an El Niño y'all volition observe some pests along the trails yous hike, so a supple of issues deterrent is of import to take during an El Niño. IF you programme to spend a adept corporeality of time on country (more than a traditional cruise), so an extra pair of lightweight travel pants / trousers and a long-sleeve shirt will come in handy during the evening when flies or mosquitoes may be more prevalent.

As the current El Niño begins to have agree, we'll post updates on our blog. Recent trips have still been seeing plenty of turtles, sea lions and sharks on their snorkel trips. We're also even so seeing marine iguanas walking along the lava rocks and waterfront outside our Galakiwi office and penguins hanging around boondocks on Isabela Isle.

Source: https://www.galakiwi.com/blog/el-nino-in-the-galapagos-islands-everything-you-need-to-know/

Posted by: eddythavess.blogspot.com

Share this post