Special Report: Fight against Global Warming
HAVANA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- After a year of intense rainfalls, Cuba is threatened by "La Nina" climate phenomenon as experts predict it will cause a more intense drought and favor hurricane formations.
"La Nina" causes rainfalls to decrease in this Caribbean country, especially between January and April, according to experts from Cuba's National Climate Center (CNC) quoted on Thursday by the press.
"La Nina" is the negative phase of "El Nino" climatic phenomenon and it is caused by decrease of temperatures in the Pacific Ocean's equatorial surface since it changes the direction and speed of winds in the intertropical zone.
In the past two months, "El Nino" has caused heavy rainfalls triggering damage in Asia's, Africa's and America's equatorial Pacific zones.
In Cuba, "La Nina" episode normally causes drier conditions because rainfalls decrease.
"El Nino" and "La Nina" weather phenomena appear almost every two years.
The CNC stated a week ago that February, 2008, was the hottest ever since 1951 with an average temperature pf 24.9 degrees Celsius.
The average yearly temperature increased 0.6 and 0.7 degrees Celsius since 1951 and by 2010 the temperature is expected to increase between 1.6 and 2.5 degrees.
According to the World Meteorology Organization the "La Nina" phenomenon will continue at least until late June of 2008.
Experts believe climate changes are caused by global warming that is caused by atmospheric pollution.
Rainfalls and intense droughts are among the main climate changes currently affecting Cuba.
Temperatures increased noticeably in Cuba during the 20th century, especially since the 1970s, while 1998 was the hottest in this Caribbean country, with an average 26.94 Celsius degrees per day.
Cuban inhabitants feel hotter summers and wonder why the winters (rainy seasons) are shorter.
Cuban weather experts believe this Caribbean country's future winter phases will be shorter, while summers will have suffocating hot temperatures due to the climatic change.
The past decade's more intense droughts are calling experts' attention, especially in the eastern region, due to the decrease of rainfalls.
In 2005, Cuba suffered "La Nina's" most recent visit causing the worse drought in the past 100 years, with a 26.7 percent rainfall decrease.
In 2005, officials used tank trucks to hand over drinking water to some 2.6 million inhabitants.
The drought, affecting Cuba's eastern region hardest, left losses for 1.350 billion U.S. dollars, according to official sources.
In 2007, "El Nino" caused heavy rainfalls in Cuba with damages for some 499 million dollars in housing, communications, highways and railroad tracks.
Experts warned Cuba will register extreme weather periods, droughts with high temperatures or very active hurricane seasons.
"La Nina" will probably increase the temperature in the Atlantic Ocean increasing the oceans' evaporation and triggering hurricanes in the Caribbean.
Historically, hurricanes are the climatic phenomena that affect Cuba most. Cuba was hit by four strong hurricanes in the 2001-2005 period.
Cuban officials are currently saving drinking water and amplifying the main (water) supply systems to the main cities to face possible intense droughts.
